


Queen of Hearts

by throughthejunobush



Category: The Royal Romance (Visual Novel)
Genre: Bi-Curiosity, Bisexuality, Cordonia, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, King Liam (The Royal Romance), Longing, Modern Royalty, Multi, Pining, Romance, Royalty, The Royal Romance Book 1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:20:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24021220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/throughthejunobush/pseuds/throughthejunobush
Summary: This is my take on the many different relationships (and possible relationships) between The Royal Romance characters. Love triangles aplenty. There's gonna be a lot of twists and turns, so strap in. Who doesn't love a messy MC? :)There will be variation from the original storyline, and a primary focus on the romance.When a handsome prince entered her bar, Aella Parks thought the adventure she'd been waiting for had finally arrived. She set off to  the kingdom of Cordonia without looking back. But one question remained: whose heart would she rule?
Relationships: Drake Walker & Main Character (The Royal Romance), Drake Walker/Main Character (The Royal Romance), Hana Lee & Main Character (The Royal Romance), Hana Lee/Main Character (The Royal Romance), Liam & Main Character (The Royal Romance), Liam (The Royal Romance)/Original Character(s), Liam/Main Character (The Royal Romance), Liam/Olivia Nevrakis
Comments: 10
Kudos: 11





	1. Castles in the Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That strange dichotomy struck her again. He was at once unthinkably powerful, yet helplessly at the whim of circumstance. It was like looking at a beautiful eagle confined to a parakeet cage. She wanted to free him. Wanted to release him to explore heights that he could effortlessly reach that the rest of the world only dreamed of. 
> 
> “Well, we’re not in Cordonia now…” She stepped closer to him, holding his gaze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Prim, for your brilliance, time, and countless conversations about TRR! You are my King Liam <3
> 
> Thank you for reading! Leave me a comment and let me know, What were your first impressions of the boys when you first played TRR? Did you think Liam was a little uptight or were you ready to hop a plane to Cordonia?

Aella always helped a friend in need and never knew what was good for her. So when her coworker Daniel asked her to take a rowdy bachelor party off his hands, she agreed without hesitation. 

Well, rowdy wasn’t exactly the right word for them. 

“Waitress, there you are. We need your best table!” A young man in a designer suit and a general look of always-had-enough-money shouted at her as soon as she walked back into the restaurant. She was suddenly very aware of the garbage scent still clinging to her after throwing away the bar trash. 

Another man followed him, clapping a hand to his friend’s shoulder. “Forget the table, Tariq. Just bring us whiskey, and lots of it.” This guy, with his chambray button-down and five o’clock shadow, looked much more at home in a dive bar than Tariq. 

She made her way over to the table where her manager had sat the party of three. They were chatting enthusiastically in English colored with an unidentifiable accent. A mix of something European and Mediterranean. 

She put on a friendly smile as she approached them. “Hello, gentlemen. I’ll be taking care of you this evening.”

“Waitress!” the third in their party, a wiry, energetic man, piped up. “Steaks for the table.”

Without looking at the menu that Aella had just handed him, Tariq said, “How about some filet mignon medium rare and prepared with a bearnaise sauce?”

Aella leaned over the discarded menu and opened it up to display for him. “Well, the closest thing we have to filet mignon is the deluxe burger.” The rugged looking guy didn’t look up at her, but she noticed a smile sneak across his face. 

“Sounds good to me,” said the energetic guy. “What are we drinking?”

“Drake already ordered a whiskey.” Tariq huffed. “Dare I ask for your wine list?” 

“No need. We’ve got an excellent vintage house red.”

Tariq looked dismayed. “ _House red?”_

She nodded. “It also comes in white.” 

Drake cut Tariq off before he could spew all the horrors she had just stirred up in his mind. “We’ll be fine with a bottle of whiskey and four deluxe burgers.” His eyes skirted up to hers briefly and back down as his cheeks filled with color. She noticed he had a dimple on one side as his lips tugged upward. 

“Four?” she asked. 

Drake nodded behind her and she turned around. Standing behind her was a man so unspeakably good-looking, that all of her cognitive faculties fell swooning to the floor of her brain. 

“Sorry I’m late. Thank you for your patience, Miss…?” He had the posture and easy demeanor of someone who knew how to command a room, and yet, at the same time, seemed somehow shy.

“Uh, Aella,” she managed to stammer as she took in his handsomeness. His face was perfect. There was no other way to describe it. Perfect straight teeth, perfect chiseled jawline, perfect dark eyes you could lose yourself in for the rest of your life.

“Charmed to make your acquaintance, Aella.” The sound of her name in his gentle accent caused her brain to short wire again.

“The charm’s all fine.” 

“Excuse me?” he said, leaning closer to hear her better over the bar noise. 

“Er, I mean, I’m _also_ charmed... _and awkward…_ ” She chuckled nervously. “I’m just going to put your order in now.”

He gave a courteous smile as she hurried past him. 

Throughout the night the guys kept her busy. They were polite, if a little needy. Well, Tariq was downright fussy, sending his burger back three times with different complaints. But the rest were friendly enough, and when he tried to send it back a fourth time, Drake shut him down pretty quickly. 

She couldn’t catch much of their conversation, but she was able to determine that the hyper one was named Maxwell, and the last one to arrive (the brain-meltingly handsome one) was Liam. He wasn’t just good looking. He was really nice, too. Said thank you every time she refilled his drink, made sure to get the guys to order their next round all at once so she didn’t have to run back and forth multiple times, and when Maxwell spilled his drink all over the table, Liam cleaned it up himself. 

Shortly after closing, she felt a tap on her shoulder as she wiped down the bar. She turned to see Liam standing a couple feet away, his hands folded politely in front of him. “I think we’re about ready to head out. I just wanted to thank you. And apologize. I know we kept you late, and my friends can be… demanding.”

“Demanding?” She waved her hand dismissively and smiled. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.” 

He laughed quietly. Everything about him radiated comfort and kindness. Like Christmas morning. “I got the feeling that you could take care of yourself.” He looked a little nervous as he continued. “If you don’t have any other plans tonight, maybe I can make it up to you by buying you a drink. We’re about to go to a club.”

“Oh? Which one?”

“We were hoping you might have some advice about that. We’re not from around here.” 

She took a moment to survey him before speaking. What kind of bar would this guy go for? “Forget the club. How about we head to the beach? I know a great secluded spot.”

He tilted his head ever-so-slightly and studied her face before responding. “You know, that actually that sounds perfect. To be honest, I’m getting a little tired of the usual bachelor party antics.”

“Great! Let me finish up here, and I’ll meet you out front.”

After she finished cleaning and changing her clothes, Aella came back out to the main bar area. The other guys had gone outside, but Liam was standing next to the bar, looking out of place with his stick straight posture and tailored suit. He didn’t look like a guy in the thick of a bachelor party. 

Before leaving, she jumped behind the bar and grabbed a top shelf bottle of whiskey, shooting Liam a wink.

“Oh! I’d love to get that.” He started to reach into his pocket for his wallet. 

“No need.” She held up her hand. “It’s free.”

“Free?”

She put a finger to her lips. “I’m stealing it.” She held open the door for Liam. He smiled, shaking his head in surprise, and walked out into the night. 

Aella stepped outside to see the other guys waiting for them out on the sidewalk. After locking up the bar, she turned to find all eyes were on her.

“Wow.” Drake said, looking dumbstruck. 

“Wow?” she asked.

“I… almost didn’t recognize you.” She couldn’t help but feel satisfied at the look on Drake’s face. He didn’t seem impressed by much, but he was impressed by her. 

“That uniform wasn’t doing you justice.” Tariq said in a failed attempt at seduction.

Maxwell chimed in. “Yeah, the waitress is _hot_.”

“Come on, man.” Drake scolded him. 

Liam was frowning. “Her name is Aella.” 

“Right,” Maxwell flinched sheepishly. “Sorry, Aella! I meant to say, you look lovely. Now let’s get this party going.” 

“So she’s our tour guide now?” Drake asked, walking a little closer to her as they headed down the street. 

She was about to tease Drake back when Liam spoke, tension teeming in his words. “Aella was kind enough to agree to show us around. She’s doing us a favor, so play nice.” Aella shared a look with Drake. Liam was so considerate, but maybe a bit tightly wound. 

She leaned over and squeezed his arm playfully. “I think I can handle these boys.” She flashed him her most charming smile. His shoulders relaxed a bit and he smiled back at her. 

A short time later they were walking along the damp sand, watching moonlit waves lightly pummel the shore of her favorite cove. 

“We should build a bonfire,” Drake said, looking eagerly at an abandoned fire pit.

Tariq sucked his teeth. “I’m not doing that.”

Drake gave him a flat stare. “Sorry, I forgot who I was talking to. What I meant was, _I’ll_ go build a bonfire.”

“This place is awesome! Skinny dipping!” Maxwell cheered, running fully clothed into the water. 

Liam stepped up next to her, and gave her a quick smile. “Thank you for bringing us here. I can tell the guys are enjoying themselves already.” 

It occurred to her that she didn’t know anything about him besides his name. Not that she’d gotten much quality time with any of them, but she already knew Tariq was into high end wines, food, and fashion, Drake was decidedly not, and Maxwell liked to breakdance. But every interaction she’d had with Liam involved him taking care of someone else. “I bet you’re used to putting everyone else first.”

“And why do you say that?”

She shrugged. “I can just tell.” She walked over to a slab of rock and sat down on it, waving at him to join her. “Now, forget about your friends. What about _you?_ Do you like it here?”

A slow smile spread across his face. “I love it.” 

She affected a Very Serious expression. “It’s my secret spot, so I’m really trusting you.”

His eyes crinkled happily at her silliness. “I’ll do my best to be worthy of that trust. Though there’s just one problem… How am I supposed to buy you that drink?”

“You’ll think of something. Or maybe you’ll just keep owing me.” She kicked her legs, sending up little sand storms below her. “Hey, you want to climb that cliff with me?”

“Way up there?”

“Come on, it will be fun!” She ran out ahead of him and scrambled up a sloping wall of rocky protrusions. Liam followed closely behind. 

“Did it.” She panted as she reached the top. She extended her hand out to help him up.

“Thanks,” he said easily. He hadn’t broken a sweat and every stitch of his fancy clothes was perfectly in place.

“What do you think?” she asked, clutching her side and gesturing to the view. “Worth the climb right?”

“Oh definitely.”

The wind was a lot stronger up here, and she shuddered as it whipped at her bare arms. “It’s colder up here!”

Liam took off his suit jacket and held it behind her, hovering over her shoulders as he gave her an inquiring look. “May I?”

“Please!” She nestled into his side as he wrapped his jacket around her. His arm tensed for a second, as though he were considering taking it away, but then it relaxed around her. 

“Is this okay?” he asked. 

She laughed at his formality. Most guys she dated didn’t ask her permission to put their arm around her. Didn’t ask her permission for much of anything. “More than okay.” 

They looked down over the bay, watching the guys below. Drake looked up at them as he fed sticks into a growing fire. His face crumpled into a frown. 

Before she had time to consider what Drake was taking issue with, a particularly cold gust of wind thrashed against them, sending her hair flying wildly around her head. She curled her body against Liam, and buried her head into his chest.

His warmth enfolded her as he wrapped his arms around her. She heard him release a soft sigh into her hair. He smelled so fresh. Like shaving cream and something minty. 

His voice rumbled in her ear. “I see that Drake got the bonfire going. Let’s head back down and warm up.” 

He held on to her hand as they scaled back down the rocky slope. 

By the time they made it to the bonfire, Drake had joined the other guys and they were all playing in the water. Aella and Liam sat close together, watching the fire crackle, taking turns sipping from the bottle of whiskey. The flames sent warm waves over their chapped limbs. 

Liam leaned in a little closer. His body seemed more relaxed when it was near to hers. “Tonight’s been quite the adventure,” he said. “I never thought my night out on the town would end up like this. You’re quite unique, aren’t you?”

She gave him an uncertain look. “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

“Believe me, it is. Spending time with you tonight has been the most fun I’ve had this entire vacation.”

“So this boys’ night out wasn’t much fun til I came along?”

He tilted his head as though deciding. “The guys did their best, and I _have_ enjoyed my time with them… but there was only really one thing I wanted to do in New York, and there wasn’t time for it.”

“And what’s that?”

“It’s… well…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re probably going to think it’s silly, but I’ve always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty… It wasn’t in the guys’ plan, so we never got to see it, and now it’s my last day here. I don’t mean to sound so ungrateful. It was thoughtful of my friends to throw me this bachelor party. They’ve done their best, but I’m not in the mood to celebrate.”

Aella went cold inside, and she shifted away from him. “Wait a second, it’s _your_ bachelor party?” How had she not thought to ask who the groom was? She’d just assumed it wasn’t Liam since he demanded the least attention of all the guys. Well, except for maybe Drake. “You’re pretty flirty for an engaged guy. I don’t think your fiancée would be too happy about that.”

He leaned toward her, almost reaching for her. “That’s the funny thing. I actually don’t know who I’m going to marry yet.” She raised an eyebrow at him and he continued. “Only that I’ll have to pick my fiancée by the end of the season.”

“End of the season? Is this like an engagement super bowl?” 

He laughed but shook his head. “I shouldn’t…”

“Come on. You’ve been giving me eyes all night.” She poked his side playfully. “Getting my hopes up. I think I deserve some kind of explanation.”

“The truth is, Aella…” He released a heavy breath and looked at her sheepishly. “I’m the Crown Prince of Cordonia.” 

She snorted. “Oh sure! The old ‘I’m a Crown Prince’ approach.” She shot him an appraising look. “I didn’t expect such a line from you. I thought you were smoother than that.”

He threw his hands up innocently. “It’s true. You can google it.” 

She gave him a skeptical look, trying to find the joke in his tone. But his face was sincere. He nodded at her phone, which she picked up reluctantly. She googled “Liam Cordonia” and sure enough, a series of images appeared with his handsome face amidst Europeanly fancy functions. “You are shitting me!”

He laughed. “No, I am not ‘shitting’ you.” He said the words as though feeling them on his tongue for the first time. 

She looked at her phone, then back at him in stunned disbelief. “You don’t seem like a prince.” 

“Oh...” He gave a half-hearted laugh. 

“I mean, you _do_ in a lot of ways. You’ve definitely got a Prince Eric vibe about you. But I would expect a real life prince to be, well… Let me put it this way. I’ve seen a lot of customers come and go, but I’ve never seen any guy at his own bachelor party be concerned about whether the waitress was having a good night.”

He smiled and looked down at his hands. “It seems the more I talk to you, the more I like you, Aella.” 

“I like you too.” She really did. She was always a sucker for an exciting backstory, but even beyond that, she really enjoyed being around him. He felt like an old friend. Like someone she could trust. 

She scooted a few inches closer to him again. “So, what’s it like being a prince?”

“It’s strange… You’d think I would feel powerful. Seemingly endless help, resources, money...”

“Humble brag,” she coughed, passing the whiskey bottle to him. 

He smiled. “I know, I must sound ridiculous. It’s just… my path in life has always been determined for me. I’ve known my whole life that I have to take up the duties of the monarchy.”

She’d never considered that before. In her world, kings and princes were characters in books that had an endless supply of people to meet their needs and do their bidding. They could have anything in the world they desired. But Liam must have been reminded every day of the responsibility set before him. Of the life he would be required to lead. The sacrifices he would have to make. And no one had even asked him if he wanted it in the first place. “I can’t imagine growing up like that.”

“I’ve never known any other way. What has it been like for you? You could be anything, do anything. What drives you, Aella?” 

“Oh, I don’t know.” Her parents hadn’t exactly given her a free pass to do _anything_. They had their own ideas of what was an appropriate life for a young lady to lead. She’d grown up in a bustling city full of possibility, and for the most part, she’d been forbidden from participating in it. She’d hardly experienced anything of note. “I guess it’s cliche, but I just want to live every day to the fullest. My parents were strict growing up. Kept me pretty sheltered. So I’ve always been eager to get out there and experience whatever adventure presents itself.”

“What kind of adventures have you had?” He gave her an easy smile, his cheeks flushed red from the alcohol and wind. 

“Well… turns out adventures usually cost money. So mostly I just work. But maybe my luck is changing. I mean, tonight I was just waiting tables, taking crap from my jerk boss, and now…” Her voice brightened. “I’m sharing an evening with a handsome prince.” She leaned her shoulder into him before she added, “I don’t know what lies ahead, but you only get one chance at life. I want to make mine mean something.” 

“That’s beautiful, Aella.” The misty breeze that had been steadily batting against them seemed to settle contentedly as he moved closer. He was prim and proper in every way, but there was something in his eyes that she couldn’t quite identify. Maybe it was just the reflection of the rippling moonlit water, but she felt like she was seeing another side of him. A secret glint of rebellion. Something untamed. The part of him that wanted to let go. She slowly closed her eyes in anticipation of his kiss. 

The sudden eruption of the other guys’ laughter filled the space between them like a gust of wind forcing them apart. Liam leaned away from her and took a deep breath as he looked out at his friends splashing each other. 

“Looks like your friends are having fun,” she said. 

“Good. I’m happy for them. They deserve to have fun.” He released a weary sigh. “Tomorrow it’s back to Cordonia for the start of the social season.”

“But it’s not tomorrow yet.”

“What are you suggesting?” She could tell he was teetering between anxiety and anticipation, but behind his aura of duty and responsibility, she could still see the muted flicker of desire in his gaze. Maybe his future was securely fastened to the rails of the Cordonian monarchy, but this night was not yet spoken for. And she had the perfect detour in mind. 

“You said you wanted to see the Statue of Liberty. Let’s do it! I know a place where we can catch a boat tour. Best view in town.”

“Right now? But it’s way past midnight. Won’t all the tours be closed?”

“I know a guy.” Being a working class, native New Yorker had its advantages. She stood up and reached for his hands. “Come on. We’re going.”

A short while later, they stood alone on the deck of a New York City tour boat, coasting gently along the glittering skyline.

“Now,” she said. “I’m dying to know why you’re so eager to see the Statue of Liberty.”

He leaned against the railing, admiring the view. “Can you guess?”

She thought for a second. “Because you might never come back here?”

“You’re right. Even if I’m ever able to return to New York, it certainly wouldn’t be as a tourist. I have a feeling I’ll regret it if I don’t see the one thing I wished to see when we decided to come here.” His eyes found her face again. “Knowing I was so close to what I wanted, but I didn’t reach out to grab it.” He stared at her for a long moment.

His sudden earnestness made her heart flutter erratically, sending an acute tremor of longing through her. “Liam…”

He looked away and gave her a playfully guilty smile. “Part of me didn’t think you’d pull this off.” 

She nodded her head. “I’m actually shocked too.” It occurred to her for the first time how embarrassing it would have been if this plan had failed. But that was her style. She tended to leap before she looked, and then hoped for the best. It had gotten her this far. 

He laughed and laid his hand softly on the very end of her knee. His face shifted into a puzzled expression. “Why are you doing this for me?”

“You seemed like you needed it.”

“No one’s ever done anything like this for me before.”

“Really? Come on, you’re a prince. I bet people do things for you all the time.”

“I do get all the perks that come with being royalty, but no one’s ever seen me as just… _me._ No one’s ever listened to me the way you do. No one’s ever come up with a spur-of-the-moment plan to make my dreams come true.” 

Her pulse quickened. Was this the typical influence of princely charm? “What else do you dream about?”

His face was solemn as he looked out over the water. “I guess lately… finding someone. Someone who can be the queen that Cordonia needs.”

“Someone you’d fall in love with?” 

He smiled but a shadow passed over his face. “That’s… never been the part of the criteria that the Cordonia Council uses.”

Suddenly the boat slowed and the mists of the harbor parted. In the distance, they could make out the otherworldly light of the Statue of Liberty. The base glowed a warm, earthy orange. But the lady shot into the night sky in a flash of green, her flame reaching out into the heavens the way a lightning bolt reaches down to the earth. 

She watched his face as he took in the view. His eyes were set in a wide, gentle gaze. His look of awe was so childlike, it made her heart hurt. She was struck with a deep sense of nostalgia. She felt lucky to be with him while he experienced whatever it was he was experiencing. “So? What do you think?”

“Magnificent. I’ve heard that art has meaning because of what it makes the viewer _feel._ Whether it’s ink splatters on a canvas or the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, it only matters if it moves you.”

“And?”

“And right now, looking at this view with you… I feel like anything is possible. Cordonia is a great country, and it represents a lot of wonderful things. But _this_ ” He gestured toward the monument. “This symbolizes freedom and possibility and dreams.” 

She was quiet for a moment, considering his words. “That’s... an oversimplification of what America stands for, but I understand what you mean. I can see why those things are important to you.” 

His gaze fell from the statue to her face. “Thank you for this moment, Aella. This feeling…” He put his hand on his chest. “This means more to me than you could ever know.”

His words circled around her heart like a vice. They meant more to her than she was comfortable admitting. “Liam…” 

“I want you to know that I admire you. Your adventurous spirit. The way you follow your heart.”

“I know being a prince entails a lot of pre-set paths, but… will it be different once you’re king?”

“It will probably only get more restrictive. My whole life I’ve prepared myself to do what’s best for Cordonia. The pressure only increases once I’m actually crowned King.”

That strange dichotomy struck her again. He was at once unthinkably powerful, yet helplessly at the whim of circumstance. It was like looking at a beautiful eagle confined to a parakeet cage. She wanted to free him. Wanted to release him to explore heights that he could effortlessly reach that the rest of the world only dreamed of. 

“Well, we’re not in Cordonia now…” She stepped closer to him, holding his gaze. His eyes burned into hers, full of longing. 

She reached to him, and ran her fingers along the curve of his shoulder up into the soft hair at the nape of his neck. His lips parted softly as he leaned down and pressed them to hers. His kiss was firm and intoxicating. A heady feeling swept over her as he pressed his tongue against hers, and she let herself relax into his arms. 

She tugged at his clothes, pulling him back toward a raised platform, partially obscured by a rain cover. The cold metal pressed into her back as his burning touch explored her body. She pulled his shirt free from his waistband and a moan escaped his lips as her hands brushed the soft skin under his shirt. He pulled back, breathing heavily. “Aella, chances are, I’ll never see you again after tonight.” She wasn’t sure if he was saying it to stop her or persuade her.

“I know,” she said breathlessly before kissing him again. 

He lifted her up onto the platform and she tightened her legs around his waist. His hands slid up her legs and the hard buckle of his belt pressed in between her thighs. She felt like she was teetering at the top of a roller coaster, both faint-hearted and eager to plummet forward into the experience. She’d had one-night-stands before, but it had never felt like this. This was more bittersweet than she expected. While the passion burned brightly in the foreground, a weighty sadness lingered in the periphery. A feeling of missing someone she didn’t even know yet. Someone she’d been waiting forever to know. 

So this must be what adventure felt like. 

She’d deal with the aftermath tomorrow. He’d go back to Cordonia and marry some stuffy duchess. She’d go back to waiting tables, and would dream of the time when she’d had a romantic fling with a prince, on a boat, in the middle of the night, under the Statue of Liberty.

But tonight, she wanted to get as close to him as possible. Wanted to know what he felt like inside of her. 

“Oh Liam…” she moaned into his neck as he pressed against her. 

Her voice seemed to startle him back to awareness. His hands squeezed her thighs tightly, before reluctantly sliding back down to her knees. He gently tugged the material of her dress back down, and placed a series of softer, lighter kisses on her lips, her cheeks, her forehead. 

“Why does it feel like you’re kissing me goodbye?” she asked. He gave her an apologetic smile and stepped back away from her. She tightened her grip on his arms. “We don’t have to stop. We could keep going.”

He shook his head. “It wouldn’t be fair to you.”

“I can decide what’s fair for me.”

He nodded concedingly. “Well, it wouldn’t be fair to myself, I suppose. And it wouldn’t be fair to Cordonia. If we keep going…” He kept his distance, but his eyes looked pleading. “...I won’t be able to go back to home, and fulfill my duty.” He kissed her again, this time just at the corner of her mouth. Not quite her cheek, not quite her lips. “I’d miss you too much.”

He helped her down off the platform. “I'm glad to have met you, Aella. I’ll never forget this night.” 

  
  
  


The next day, she headed down the street back to the bar for her Sunday shift. Her head and body were still buzzing with the memory of Liam. 

A gnawing disappointment burrowed in her chest, carving out an aching void of the magic she’d caught a glimpse of the night before. The idea of going back to her dull job with her mean boss so she could keep paying her bills… the idea of never seeing Liam again… it was unbearable. 

So when Maxwell bounced down the street toward her and started chattering about sponsors and planes leaving in an hour, she barely hesitated. Suddenly the void in her chest was filled up again, bursting with possibility and hope. 

_This_ was the adventure she’d been waiting for. 


	2. The Masquerade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone gets to know Aella a little better at the Masquerade ball.

Well, here they were again. Beginning of another social season, and Drake could practically hear the nobles sharpening their claws in preparation. 

How fitting that they kick off the whole thing with a masquerade ball. Everyone literally wearing masks. He recognized most of them despite their costumes. He’d learned by now to see through the pomp and pageantry. 

He was taking the first sip of his drink when a woman, one he didn’t recognize, approached him. Her body was wrapped in red lacy fabric, revealing teasing glimpses of the skin underneath. Her arms swung gracefully from her long frame as she walked. She didn’t have the trademark stiff gait of lady of the court. There was something more unpredictable, and yet familiar, in the way she moved, and he had a hard time tearing his eyes away. 

He took a swig of his drink and reminded himself that all the women were there for Liam. He nodded and gave her a stiff bow. “Good evening, my lady.”

“So you  _ do _ have manners.” The New York accent brought him up short. 

“Aella? Is that you?”

“Yeah.” She elbowed him playfully. “You didn’t recognize me?” Her affectionate nature was so American. She was immediately close. Not just physically, but in your head too. Whenever she was around, she was stealing his attention. 

“I… I was caught off-guard. You clean up well.” 

She pressed her hand to her neck, clutching fake pearls. “Drake, was that actually a  _ compliment _ ?” 

“Uh, no. Looking the part doesn’t mean you’re going to be welcome here, you know.” Somehow it was even more infuriating to see her fit in so well. What was Maxwell thinking? He was throwing this bright-eyed baby deer to the wolves of Cordonia. And why? For a chance that Liam might choose her to be queen? Hell. If there was anything he knew about Liam, it was that he was dedicated to Cordonia despite its impossible standards. There was no chance he would pick a wild card New York commoner, no matter how sweet and sexy she was. 

She gave him an amused smirk. “Well, you’re as charming as ever.” There wasn’t a hint of intimidation in her voice. She was bold, and bold and naive was a dangerous combination around here. Though he had to admit that he liked a girl who didn’t always mind her manners. 

“Heh. Compared to most of the nobles here, I’m your best friend.”

She looked him over as though considering that, and then waved a hand at him dismissively. “Drake, everyone here’s been perfectly nice.” 

He scoffed. She sounded just like Savannah. “Sure, to your face. You don’t want to know what they’re probably saying about you behind your back.” 

“Aren’t these  _ your _ friends we’re talking about?” 

“I’m friends with Prince Liam. I’m not here for the rest of them.” 

She popped her hip out and put a hand on her waist. Her posture gave her away as an outsider right away. Not to say he didn’t enjoy it. “What about Maxwell? He seems alright. He’s the one sponsoring me after all.” 

“Look, you don’t know him like I do. You don’t know any of them like I do.” 

“Ahem! Pardon me, but I absolutely must steal her away.” Olivia, the most ruthless of the nobles, appeared like a wolf pouncing on its prey. She grabbed Aella’s arm in a crushing grip and pulled her away.    
  


“Hey!” Aella protested, trying to yank her arm free. She shot Drake an alarmed look as she was dragged away. A protective surge filled his gut but he held himself back. If she thought everyone was perfectly nice, she could handle it on her own. 

They stepped a few feet away, but Olivia always talked like she was announcing a royal decree, so Drake could still hear their conversation. 

“Forgive me for being forward, but I’ve never seen  _ you _ here before. I always notice when the heralds announce a new name. I make it a point to know all of the ladies at court. I'm Lady Olivia Vanderwall Nevrakis, Duchess of Lythikos.” 

Aella stood up a little taller after regaining the freedom of her arm again. “Hi Olivia. I’m Ae- Lady Aella Parks.” 

“I can’t say I’m familiar with your house. It must be nouveau.” Olivia spat the words out with thinly-veiled distaste. “Well, seeing as you’re the new girl at court, let me give you some advice. When you’re presented to the King, you should kiss his shoe when you curtsy to him.”

Aella looked nervously over at King Constantine, who was receiving a line of guests. “Really?” Oh hell. She was going to humiliate herself. His stomach twisted at the thought.

“It’s Cordonian custom to show deep respect and reverence for the monarchy. You’re so lucky that I was here to warn you! Otherwise, you’d look completely ridiculous.”

“Thanks,” she said, a question in her tone. 

Olivia glided away and Drake moved to catch Aella and clear things up before she introduced herself to Constantine. But Maxwell reached her first. 

“Prince Liam is here! Ready to see him again?” And impossibly fast, they were walking towards the King and Prince, a crowd of people filling the gap between them. 

Drake watched Maxwell nudge Aella towards the King. If she was nervous, you couldn’t tell now. She walked confidently to him with a radiant smile. An image of Savannah bombarded his mind. Aella had no idea what she was getting herself into. 

Drake pushed the thought away. He couldn’t let himself feel responsible for her. This was a losing battle, and he wasn’t interested in fighting. Aella--no, Parks. She was a suitor. Not a friend. 

He braced himself as she approached the King. But instead of foolishly trusting Olivia’s “advice”, she gracefully curtsied. Constantine looked impressed, and he had to admit, he was too. Maybe she wasn’t as naive as she seemed. 

Drake took a long sip from his glass of whiskey as he watched Maxwell guide her toward Liam. His stomach churned as he waited to see his reaction. Would this be the moment she realized she’d followed a drunken flirtation to the other side of the world? Would Liam be able to disguise the pity in his face as he tried to explain that he was obligated to choose a noblewoman who had trained her whole life for this role? He felt a painful ache in his chest, like the irritation of an old wound. 

But that’s not what happened. Instead, Liam’s face filled with a light Drake hadn’t seen since before Leo abdicated the throne. Or maybe since Eleanor died. His expression was almost… childlike. 

Drake couldn’t decipher the mix of feelings sloshing in his gut as he watched Liam look back over his shoulder at Parks after she walked away. He’d been frustrated with Liam the night at the cove, for sweeping an American girl up in fairy tale dreams that were nothing like the reality of royal life in Cordonia. He was angrier at Maxwell for impulsively inviting her to compete to become Queen of Cordonia. They were all just leading her on. Already asking her to sacrifice too much for a castle in the sky. 

But he was thrown by what he saw in Liam’s face. Seeing Parks through his eyes…  _ she _ was the magical, too-good-to-be-true fantasy.

He was in over his head.

***

Hana could see the look in Olivia’s eye as soon as Aella joined their little gathering at the courtyard drinks table. Like a shark who'd just caught the scent of blood. Hana hadn’t known Olivia long, but she knew her type. She’d grown up with girls just like her. Girls who viewed everyone else as either an opportunity or a threat.

“Aella, you were awfully familiar with the Prince. You didn’t say that you knew him,” 

“I’ve met the Prince once before,” Aella answered Olivia casually. 

“I can’t imagine when a girl like you would’ve met the Prince.”

Aella shrugged. “Let’s just say it was once upon a time.” Her blasé tone was asking for trouble from Olivia, but it gave Hana a secret thrill. Similar to the thrill she’d gotten when Aella had walked in on Hana in her underwear earlier that day. She’d acted like it was nothing, even though they’d never met. 

“Sounds like you’re hiding something. I don’t like secrets.” Olivia put a hand on her hip. “And I don’t like  _ you _ .” Well that seemed uncalled for. Aella seemed pleasant enough, if a little unconventional. 

Aella raised an eyebrow at Olivia curiously, as though she were watching her perform a one-woman show. 

Clearly flustered at the lack of response, Olivia continued. “Listen, you should know that whatever happened between you and Liam, you don’t really have a chance with him. You might’ve been able to capture his attention when it was just the two of you, but you can’t keep up with the ladies here.” Aella stared blankly at her, eliciting a frustrated huff from Olivia. “We’re from the finest families in Europe, and we’ve been training and preparing our whole lives to marry a prince. You can’t just waltz in here at the last minute and steal him from us.” 

Aella turned toward Hana and opened her mouth in a friendly smile as though about to change the subject, but Olivia cut her off. “Kiara here is the daughter of a diplomat and is fluent in ten languages…”

Kiara gave a small but proud smile. “Le Prince va tomber amoureux de moi.”

“Penelope can track her lineage back through six hundred years of royalty.”

A dark-haired woman in a purple dress nodded her head formally. “It’s an honor to represent my people here.” 

“Even Hana’s been training to learn the courtly graces of conversation and seduction.”

Aella looked her way and Hana smiled. 

Penelope joined in. “But if anyone’s got the inside track with Prince Liam, it’s you, Olivia. You’ve known him his entire life.” 

Olivia stood up a little straighter. “It’s true. We grew up at the palace together as childhood friends. Before his older brother abdicated, it was just assumed Liam and I would be married one day. I’ve got no intention of losing him to one of you harpies.” She gave a smug look at the rest of them. “No offense.” 

Aella laughed a breath of amused surprise. “I can’t believe the rest of you let Olivia talk like this.”

Penelope’s eyes darted nervously between Olivia and Aella. “She’s only stating the facts. There’s no point in being emotional about it.” Judging by her unconvincing tone, Penelope had been on the receiving end of this sentiment a few times before. 

Kiara nodded curtly. “We all knew what we were getting ourselves into when we came here, Aella. Didn’t you?” 

“Don’t worry, ladies. I’m sure little Aella will learn her place here, eventually. Or else I’ll make her life a living hell.”

Aella took an exasperated breath, as though becoming bored with all of this. “And what, exactly, do you think my  _ place _ is here?” How was she so unaffected by this? She seemed fearless considering how little experience she had among the gentry. It was as though the standards and expectations didn’t apply to her. Without thinking, Hana took a step closer to her. 

“Oh, somewhere below Penelope and Kiara, but you know what? Probably above Hana. Though I’m surprised Hana’s here at all after what I heard about her last attempt at an engagement.”

An icy dread radiated from Hana’s core out to her limbs, stinging her skin with beads of cold sweat. She felt frozen into place as she watched a satisfied smile slither across Olivia’s face. 

She tossed her crimson hair back and continued in a matter-of-fact tone. “Well, we all know that your family will throw you at any available bachelor as long as it means you can climb another rung on the social ladder. But, honestly, it’s a bit much to expect that Prince Liam is going to accept damaged goods.” 

Hana’s eyes were locked onto the ground as a wave of shame overwhelmed her. She felt an unpleasant ache in her eyes as she struggled to hold back tears. “I… I need to…” She took a few steps towards the palace doors. “Excuse me.” 

Before she could get far a warm hand locked onto her arm, holding her in place. Aella said softly, “I’ll go with you.” She was taken aback. She’d only spoken to Aella a handful of times. Olivia had just revealed Hana to be a terrible person to ally with. Why would Aella want to come with her? 

“That’s awfully sweet, but… I’ll… I’ll be fine.” She shook her head and mustered a weak smile. As she walked through the palace doors, she overheard Aella’s harsh tone. “Olivia, you’re acting like a child, not a queen. If this is how you behave, I wouldn’t trust you with childproof scissors, let alone a kingdom.” For the first time, she didn’t sound light-hearted and relaxed. She sounded furious. 

“I… You can’t…” Olivia sputtered. 

Hana felt a rush of gratitude for Aella as she headed toward her bedroom. She’d never had someone stick up for her like that. Particularly someone she’d just met, and when the cost could be so high. That sort of kindness was so rare in her life.

The brittle shame she felt over her engagement collapsed in her chest, breaking any resistance she had to hold back the tears. Her face was flushed and damp by the time she got to her room. 

It was the first night of the social season and everyone had already pegged her as the weak link. She wasn’t going to win Prince Liam’s heart through pity. Not that  _ she _ really wanted to win his heart. Her parents wanted her to, and she wanted her parents to be proud of her. But she saw the way Olivia and Aella looked at Liam, and there just wasn’t a part of her that related to the desire in their eyes. 

What was wrong with her? She hadn’t felt anything for her fiancé either. Peter had been perfect: accomplished, kind, handsome. Not unlike Prince Liam. But despite a lifetime of training, she couldn’t convincingly go through the motions. And now everyone knew what a shame she was to her family. Olivia was right. She  _ was _ damaged goods. 

Suddenly, the door to her bedroom clicked open and Aella’s masked face popped into the doorway. 

“Aella, what are you doing here?” she asked, quickly dabbing her eyes with a tissue. 

She walked in and closed the door behind her, which stirred something warm in Hana’s stomach that she wasn’t quite comfortable admitting to. 

“I wanted to give you a hug.” The warm feeling intensified as Aella approached and wrapped her arms around Hana. She rigidly accepted the embrace at first, not accustomed to this level of affection. She never had any close friends growing up. No siblings. She wasn’t even permitted anything as frivolous as a stuffed animal or doll. And her parents weren’t exactly the touchy-feely type. 

After a moment, her shoulders relaxed, relenting to the deep exhaustion she felt. Every other person felt a million miles away from her, but Aella’s arms felt warm and comforting, so she soon found herself returning the embrace. 

She pulled away after a moment more. “I really needed that… Thank you.” 

“It’s the least I could do.” Aella walked over to her bed and sat down, causing an odd tension to tug at her stomach. It was such an act of familiarity. 

Hana pursed her mouth into a strained smile. “I know I shouldn’t let Olivia bother me. You probably think I’m making a fool of myself.”

Aella reached out and grabbed her hand, coaxing her to come sit next to her. The soft touch sent a jolt down into her legs. Hana perched herself a polite distance away on the bed. 

Aella tilted her head and gave her a gentle look. “I think you’re being human. I mean, you’d have to be a robot to not let Olivia get under your skin when she talks to you like that.” 

Being merely human had never been acceptable in her parents’ eyes, but Aella made it sound like a good thing. “I guess you’re right.” She looked down at the tissue in her hand. “The real problem is… Olivia is right. Last year, my parents arranged a very advantageous match for me. But only a few weeks before the wedding, the groom pulled out of the arrangement.” She looked up at Aella’s face briefly to gauge her reaction. She nodded at her, encouraging her to continue. “It was handled quietly, but it was still regarded as rather scandalous. Since then, my parents have been desperate for me to find another match. They’ve all but thrown me into this competition. I thought Cordonia was far away enough that I could escape my past… But it looks like the rumors have followed me here.”

Aella reached across the space to squeeze Hana’s hand. “A broken engagement is nothing to be ashamed of.”

Tiny fissures began to form on the slab of tension in her chest. “It’s not?”

“In the real world, stuff like that happens all the time. Sometimes things just don’t work out. It doesn’t mean anything’s wrong with you.” The pressure began to break apart, like clouds clearing. “Besides,” Aella continued. “At the heart of it, I think we both know why Olivia singled you out.”

“Why?” She braced herself for whatever harsh truth Aella was about to share.

“Olivia bullies you because you’re her biggest threat.” She gestured at Hana. “Look at yourself! You’re gorgeous, well-composed, compassionate, articulate… All of the things that Olivia  _ isn’t. _ ”

Hana looked down blushing. She wasn’t expecting something so flattering. “I don’t know, she  _ is _ kind of gorgeous.” Did Aella think Olivia was gorgeous too? Or just Hana?

“Okay, maybe I’ll give her that one, but you’re clearly a front-runner for the Prince’s choice. It’s no wonder Olivia’s threatened by you.” Her eyes skirted down the length of Hana’s body, sending an electric shiver through her. 

“But you’re not.”

She shrugged. “I’m not like Olivia.” 

Aella’s words cast Olivia in a much different light. She seemed childish now, and Hana felt a little stronger and braver than before. “Well, Aella, I see that I’ve found myself in your debt already.”

Aella waved her hand lightly. “It’s not a big deal.”

“On the contrary, your words have spoken volumes about your character. I won’t forget this.” She wiped her face and tried to put on a composed smile. “I must look a mess.”

Aella shook her head, smiling. “Are you kidding? I meant what I said before. You are gorge-e-ous.” She tilted her head, looking at Hana. But not just looking at her. Seeing her. “You could never look like a mess to me.” 

“Oh…” Hana’s cheeks warmed as she tried to suppress a smile. She averted her eyes to the mirror. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, but just give me a minute.” She dabbed the smeared makeup away. “There. Much better.”

“Ready to go back?” She reached out for Hana. 

She confidently took Aella’s hand and let her pull her into the hallway. Aella dropped her grip on Hana and gave her a side-arm hug before breaking away. 

Hana’s skin tingled from the contact all the way back to the ballroom, where Aella hurried away for a chance at the Prince’s attention. 

***

“...And that’s how my family acquired its fifth golden poodle statue.” Lady Penelope smiled brightly at Liam. 

He laughed politely. “I can relate. Don’t get me started on the queen’s antique goblet collection.”

“Excuse me. May I cut in?” an American-sounding voice said next to him. He turned to see the lovely and utterly surprising Aella. He focused his eyes on her as though making her out through a haze, still unsure if this was all a dream. 

She was smiling kindly at Lady Penelope, whose face fell into a pout. “If you must…”

Aella’s eyes twinkled behind her sparkling black eye mask which gave her a roguish appearance paired with the devil horns on her head. “I must.” 

Penelope reluctantly walked away and Liam turned toward Aella. “You handled that very well.” 

She gave a small curtsy. “I try.” 

“You do more than that. Honestly, you seem as comfortable here as you did back in New York.” She reminded him of Leo in that regard. He was at home in every room he entered. 

“Shall we dance?” She inclined her head to the dance floor. 

The orchestra started playing a dreamy waltz, and Liam took her hand. “Just follow my lead.”

They glided effortlessly over the floor. Aella relaxed easily into his arms and seemed to take every cue he gave her as they waltzed. 

“You’re an amazing dancer,” she said. It was a compliment he’d heard many times before but somehow it seemed more genuine coming from her. Like the she was just enjoying the moment, not overly concerned with the political meaning of being adept in courtly skills. 

“My parents would be thrilled to hear that all those years of dance lessons paid off.” He pulled her a little closer. It was strange to hold her in his arms in front of all of these people. “I’m very glad that I got a moment alone with you, Aella.”

“Well,” she looked around at the full ballroom. “Relatively alone. There’s only about a hundred people watching us right now.”

“Unfortunately, it’s about as much privacy as we might expect… Though I do have a trick up my sleeve.” He guided her across the ballroom floor to a set of French doors leading to an empty balcony. “We can get a little more privacy out here at least.”

She gave an impressed look. “Nice moves.”

“I try. Now, I want to know how you are. I trust you’re being well taken care of here?” Even though they were alone now, they continued to dance.

She nodded. “Maxwell’s been very sweet so far. He flew me out here and set me up with a room and everything. I haven’t met his brother yet.”

“Ah, yes, the Duke. He’s… different from Maxwell. More serious. But their house has an excellent reputation, mostly due to him.” He wondered what Bertrand would make of this unconventional woman. She wasn’t exactly the Cordonian court prototype, but how could anyone deny that there was something special about her? Something compelling. 

“I see.” She looked at him thoughtfully. 

“What about Cordonia? What do you think of my home so far?” A nervous twinge stirred in the back of his mind. 

“I love it! But…” She looked up at him through her eyelashes. “I’d like it better if I had more time with you.” 

The twinge all but went away as a flame blossomed in its place. “I’ll have to see what I can do about that.”

Her mouth unraveled into a broad smile. “Good.”

“It’s good that you’re not homesick. If you were to become queen… well, you’d be spending most of your time here in Cordonia.” He searched her face for a reaction. 

“Oh, right,” she said lightly. “I guess that’s a pretty important quality in a queen-to-be.”

He couldn’t quite read her. Did she really want to be queen? Or was she just up for an adventure? A cloud of painful memories darkened his thoughts. “Especially given Cordonia’s recent history…”

Her expression softened. “What do you mean?”

“These last few decades have been somewhat rocky for us. The first queen abandoned my father and my older half-brother. I’m not clear on the exact details but…” 

Her whole body seemed to soften in sympathy as she listened. “Do you know why she left at least?”

“She couldn’t handle the pressures of courtly life. She came from a lesser noble family, so she hadn’t been long at court before the marriage.” 

Her face pinched ever-so-slightly. “Lesser noble family, huh?” A playful disapproval bubbled in her voice, which surprised him. “You’re starting to sound like Olivia. What did she say to me earlier? Something like, only the finest families in Europe breed women deserving of the prince.” 

He chuckled. It was rare for him to be called out like this. She was so audacious. Also like Leo. He wondered if she liked to escape too. “I apologize. I don’t mean to sound pretentious or judgmental. It’s just… well, the life of a queen is a demanding one. There is a great deal of scrutiny and pressure. It requires following many rules that probably seem silly to anyone who hasn’t been brought up to believe they’re of the utmost importance.”

Aella nodded her head slowly. “I see. And your mother?” 

“My own mother passed away when I was still a child.”

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and looked into his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

“It was a long time ago.” He swallowed a tight knot in his throat. His bones still ached with her loss. He guessed that’s what happened when you lost your mother. At least a mother like her. 

She searched his face quietly for a moment. “And so the current queen…?”

He breathed out, feeling relieved that she hadn’t pushed him further. “She may not be my mother, but she is a wonderful woman who’s done her best to lead Cordonia alongside my father. Instability in the monarchy is always dangerous for a small kingdom like ours. Weakened currency, a rise in crime, a drop in tourism… all because of the lives of the rulers.” 

She considered all this. “So that’s why you care so much about finding the right queen.”

“Exactly. I can’t just follow my heart, as much as I might want to.” He stared in her eyes for a long moment. “There’s too many other people I need to think about.” He shook his head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to burden you with this.” 

“Liam, there’s no need to apologize. I’m glad to better understand what you’re going through. You’ve got a lot resting on your shoulders.”

Her words eased something in him. She wasn’t assessing his readiness to be King. She was just listening to him. It made him feel a little lighter and more carefree. “True, but I can at least take a moment to sprinkle in tales of my misspent youth.”

“I wouldn’t mind hearing those either.” 

“One summer when I was only eight, my father decided to throw me into the rigors of governing. He made me sit through hours of meetings for three weeks straight. Finally, I couldn’t take another minute. I decided to liberate myself.”

“You played hooky?” Her wording was so colloquial. Now she was starting to sound like Drake. Funny how many of his favorite people she brought to mind.

“Yeah. Drake and I stole a monster supply of chocolate from the kitchens, and we hid out in the gardens. We spent the evening making up games to play in the garden maze. Our best was maze-tag.” He gestured over to a series of hedges nearby. “You can see the entrance to the maze just over the railing there, by the hedges.”

She stretched her head back to get a look. “‘Maze-tag’? You played tag in the maze?”

“You’ve got it. Not our most cleverly named game, but whoever was ‘it’ had to run after the other person in the maze. You lost if you were ‘it’ by the time the other person got to the center. We played that for hours, until we nearly collapsed from exhaustion. But we were too stubborn to go back. We used the last of our strength to climb up the tree in the center of the hedge maze and vowed to live out there. We fell asleep in that tree, and I only woke up when I fell off the branch and landed flat on my back, swearing up a storm.” She laughed and it filled his chest with a light fizzy feeling. “I hope this doesn’t destroy your image of me as a prince.” 

“What surprises me most is that you know any swear words. You’re always so proper.” Her hand slid from his shoulder to his chest. 

“Maybe in front of you…” He tugged her hips a little closer.

“Well, I want to meet the Liam who plays hooky and sleeps in trees.”

He sighed. “I miss those carefree summers. But I’m afraid those days are behind me.” He loosened his grip on her and, suspecting that someone was going to come looking for them soon, he waltzed her through the french doors, back into the ballroom. 

“This song is coming to an end, and the Masquerade with it. We’ll have to say good night soon.” Disappointment gnawed at his insides. He didn’t want to say good night, but he could see no way around it. 

Her eyes fell away from his. “Is this how it’s going to be for the next few months? Stealing a couple minutes here and there?”

“As I said, things are different here. I should spend some time with the other girls to be fair to them.” He knew it was the proper thing to do, as reluctant as he was to comply. The ends of her long hair danced over the skin on the back of his hand, and he longed to run his hand through it. “Believe me when I say I wish this night didn’t have to end.”

“Who says it has to?” Her face was full of mischief… and possibility. 

“Uh-oh. The last time you got that gleam in your eye, we ended up on a boat to the Statue of Liberty.”

She bit her lip to suppress a smile.“Do you regret it?”

He felt the pleasant bubble of potential rising in his chest. “Never. What are you proposing?”

“Would you like to meet me at the garden maze?”

“Yes,” he said immediately. He stole a glance at Bastien, who was surveying the crowd vigilantly. “But my bodyguards would never allow me to go out there alone.” 

Her eyes flickered down to his lips and back up to his eyes. “You wouldn’t be alone. I’ll be there.”

Heat warmed the back of his neck. “They’d probably like that even less. We shouldn’t…”

“Then why are you smiling?” 

He hadn’t even realized he’d been smiling but now his cheeks stretched into a broad grin. “Because we both know how much I  _ want _ to.” 

“In that case, I’ll be out there in twenty minutes. I hope I won’t be alone.”

“Aella…” He really shouldn’t. If someone found out, there would be upset amongst the other suitors. 

“Yes?” she asked innocently.

The music slowed to a stop and the crowd applauded. Aella started to pull back, but he couldn’t bear the idea of her walking away and not seeing her again until tomorrow, and even then, they’d be surrounded by people. 

He spun her close into his body and bent his head down so his mouth was next to her ear. 

“I’ll see you in twenty.” 

Twenty minutes later he was rushing out of the palace doors toward the maze. She was standing near the entrance, her hip popped out to the side, wearing a puckish smile. “Cutting it a little close there.”

He spread his arms out apologetically. “I was trapped in a conversation about table seating for tomorrow’s picnic, but I managed to tear myself away for you.” He offered her his arm. “Shall we?” 

They strolled slowly through the maze. “It really is beautiful here at night,” she said. 

“I wish I could take the credit, but the gardens out here were my mother’s vision. I think it was her last wish before... well.” He took a deep breath. “Sometimes when I stroll this garden at night, I think of her.” The jasmine scented air filled him with a deep nostalgia. He looked up at the stars. 

She squeezed his arm gently. “I’m sure she appreciates that.” It was nice to talk to someone about his mother. Leo was always off on some flight of fancy. Drake and Olivia weren’t big on heart-to-hearts. And Maxwell couldn’t sit still long enough to have one.

He rested his hand over hers. “Thanks. The garden holds a lot of good memories as well.”

“Like maze-tag?”

“Yeah.” He breathed out a self-conscious laugh. “You probably think it’s silly, don’t you?”

“No, sounds like a lot of fun. In fact… You’re it!” She slapped his arm enthusiastically and ran away through the hedge path. 

“Hey!” he laughed as he chased after her. She ran surprisingly fast considering the shoes she was wearing. He followed her around a corner, but she was nowhere to be found. He jogged toward the center of the maze, listening for any trace of her, but hearing only the soft thud of his own shoes on the dirt path. 

He reached the large tree in the center and stopped, looking around for any signs of her. The clearing looked serene, with a long wooden swing under an archway dotted with fairy lights. The night breeze blew softly against his skin while his senses reached out for her. 

Something crashed out of the bush into him, knocking him to the ground. Aella’s hair fell around his face as her body tangled with his. His ears filled with the sound of their mixed laughter. They rolled to a stop next to the tree swing, and she smiled down at him, a soft glimmer of light haloing her face. 

“We made it. The center of the maze,” he said, his heart pounding.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “And I do believe I win.” 

“How do you figure that?”

“Easy.” She looked down between them. “I’m on top.”

“Hey, we don’t know who tagged who at the end there. I want a second ruling.” 

“Well, we don’t always get what we want… even princes…”

He laughed, but felt a disheartened surge swell into his heart. He wanted her. And he wasn’t sure he could have her. 

“Something about you… It just feels… right to be around you.” 

Her face was serious, but still glowing like the fairy lights around them. “I feel the same way.” 

“Aella…” He reached up and pulled her eye mask off, seeing her face fully for the first time since New York. She looked even prettier than he remembered. Before he could second guess himself, he leaned up and captured her lips with his. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him eagerly back. His hands slid around her, pulling her full weight down on his body. He wanted so badly to finish what he started that night on the boat in front of the Statue of Liberty. He wanted to get as close as possible. 

Maybe they could just stay out here, like he had as a child. They could sleep in the trees… in her arms. He felt the same reckless defiance he’d felt as a child. Except this time it wasn’t weeks of meetings he was running from. It was a lifetime of expectation. Centuries of precedence. An entire kingdom of people expecting him to do the right thing… counting on him to do the right thing. 

He shook himself and pulled away from her. If he defied his duties now, it wouldn’t be just him falling flat on his back. It would be every Cordonian citizen that he’d be pulling down with him. 

“We shouldn’t… I don’t know what will happen, and I…”

“I know.” She sat up, looking flushed but nodding with understanding. 

He wanted to pull her back down and kiss her some more. “What is it about you, Aella? When you’re around, you make me want to break all the rules. I’m not supposed to be sneaking away with the suitors, let alone kissing them like this.” 

She gave him a cocky smile as she put her mask back on. “So, you haven’t kissed anyone else tonight?”

“I haven’t.” He hadn’t kissed anyone else since Leo announced that he was abdicating the throne. Since he found out the weight of the crown would be falling on his head. 

He stood and dusted off his suit. “This was… unexpected, but somehow perfect.” 

She turned toward him and smiled while she straightened her dress. “You laughed more in this maze than you did all night in that Masquerade.”

“I guess I really needed this… Thank you.” He stepped close to her and reached for her hand.

“I had fun too.” She laced her fingers into his. “Will I see you soon?”

“Yes, tomorrow. It’ll be very busy, but I’ll find the time.” He placed one more soft kiss on her lips, drinking in that feeling of possibility and excitement that she exuded, so he could carry it with him later when they were no longer alone.

“I look forward to it.” 

He didn’t know what to make of her, but he knew he wanted more time to figure it out. And he already knew he’d be spending the next several weeks doing everything he could to spend time with her. “Until then.”


	3. Fire and Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aella and the gang head to Lythikos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the Lythikos chapters in Book 1, because the tension really ramps up between MC and all the love interests (well, except Maxwell #sorryMaxwell). What did y'all think of Liam and Olivia's relationship when you played the first Lythikos chapters? Did you think they had a romantic past? I have strong feelings and many a theory. I would love to hear your thoughts!

“Here we are!” Maxwell greeted her. “Welcome to Lythikos! Land of ice, snow, and mountains.”

Aella took in the stunning view as she and Maxwell approached the frozen lake where the nobles had gathered. She was excited at the potential to get some time with Liam. They’d caught one or two moments here and there, always in a crowd of people. And nothing more than a few snippets of conversation and earnest expressions of desire for more time together. 

Most of her time had been spent with Maxwell, Hana, and Drake, who were quite good company. But even so, she couldn’t shake the culture shock of being some place completely unfamiliar with no one from her past life within reach. 

Hana seemed to be feeling similarly disconnected, so they had become fast friends. And as far as she could tell, Drake tolerated her company more than anyone else’s, so he begrudgingly hung around. Maxwell was the human equivalent of a pop song, keeping things light and fun at all times, which she needed to handle Bertrand’s constant scornful looks that confirmed Aella’s fears that she was in over her head. 

Not that things weren’t going well. She had impressed the Queen and the press so far, but she could only chalk it up to luck. Normally she was comfortable taking risks, trusting her instincts to carry her through. But there were dizzying moments where she realized how far away she was from everything she knew. Like a tightrope walker who made the mistake of looking down. 

And Liam himself was dizzying. Brief but intense encounters that left her wanting more and wondering, how much of this was real? 

“So this is where Olivia lives?” she asked. 

Maxwell kneeled down to fix the laces on Aella’s skates. “Some of the time, yeah. She’s primarily at Lythikos Hall, which is a little further south, but she’ll host us up here for the social season, so we can take advantage of the snowy festivities.”

She surveyed the gathering and her heart gave a little stutter step when she saw Liam arm-in-arm with Olivia, skating across the ice. “And so she can take advantage of the Prince?” 

“She  _ does _ have the edge here,” Hana said. “But that’s no reason to admit defeat!”

“That’s the spirit!” Maxwell chirped excitedly.

Olivia and Liam coasted nearer, close enough for Aella to catch a snippet of their conversation. 

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten just how well I can skate.” Olivia clutched Liam’s arms with both hands as she leaned into him. 

“Oh, I very much remember.” Liam smiled down at Olivia. Was that a note of flirtation in his tone? An angry little spark blazed in the back of her mind. She took a deep breath and the cool air soothed it away. It wasn’t like Aella to be jealous. She certainly had no claim to Liam’s heart. Maybe she was just feeling competitive. She couldn’t let Olivia get to her. 

Maxwell spoke to her in a lowered volume. “Remember to keep your eyes on the prize. Now, get out there and grab some time with the Prince while I distract Olivia.” He called loudly out to the duchess as she and Liam passed by. “Olivia, you gotta see me do a spin! Don’t move!” 

He turned back to Aella and gave her a wink and a hipcheck, sending her sailing across the ice toward Liam. “Go get ‘em, princess.”

“Woah!” Aella flailed wildly from the momentum of Maxwell’s push. 

As she struggled to regain her balance, a pair of strong arms surrounded her. “Gotcha.” Liam wrapped her in a hug before pulling away. 

“Well, hello.” Aella said. His arms felt wonderful, like a heated blanket warming away the chill of anxiety that had crept under her skin. Now that he was looking at her again, it was as though he’d never looked at another girl. 

“I take it you’ve come to skate with me today?” He looked down at her with a bright face and a hint of a smile. God, he was handsome. 

“That was my hope,” she said, suppressing a nervous giggle that was wiggling its way out of her.

“Then please, accompany me.” 

Aella took his hand and laced her fingers through his. “Gladly.”

“You look very lovely today.”

“Thank you,” she smiled. “Do you and the court come out here regularly?”

“Not often. However, when we do, Olivia’s always been very generous by having us at her estate.” 

Aella nodded. Generous was not the first word that came to mind when she thought of Olivia. 

“But actually,” he added. “I used to come out here frequently when I was younger. Olivia and I would play in the snow together.” 

“You and Olivia, huh? Tell me more about that.”

“We’d build little forts on the bank and catapult snowballs at each other. The lake was too dangerous to play on since we were young, but sometimes, we’d sneak onto the ice in hopes that we could see fish beneath the surface.” He smiled fondly at the memory. “We never did, but we had many exciting false finds.” 

As they skated a little faster, a snowflake flecked wind rushed over them. Aella pulled her coat a little closer with her free hand. “You two must’ve been close.” Olivia had been so openly hostile and cruel to the other women, she’d never imagined Liam would choose to marry someone like her. But the look on his face made her wonder if there was more to their relationship. 

“We were.” He hesitated, a pained look worrying his features. “It’s been hard watching her, well, become who she is. I know Olivia can be a tough person to get along with.” He gave Aella a knowing look. 

She nodded her head in acknowledgment. “She’s basically the opposite of you.” 

Liam looked out over the span of ice in front of them, heavily scarred with white slashes. “Olivia had a difficult childhood. Her parents were killed in a political assassination when she was only five years old. She was alone, without family at her estate for the better part of a year before my parents and I officially visited. She was supposed to be in the care of her great aunt, but the woman had left to summer on the Riviera, abandoning her.” For the first time, a current of anger cracked through Liam’s decorum. “Olivia didn’t have anyone. She was so alone.” 

Aella looked at Olivia, who was smirking at Maxwell’s acrobatic skating. No wonder she was so prickly. She’d had only herself to rely on, at a time when she should have been tenderly cared for and reassured. Even the most powdery snow will pack down to ice given enough pressure. 

“Was she okay?” Aella asked.

“The first few days of our visit, she was sullen and withdrawn. I thought she hated me. But one night, I heard her sobbing through the wall. I actually believed it was a ghost at first, but once I got over my fear and decided to investigate, there she was.” His voice sounded strained as he spoke. “Little five-year-old Olivia, weeping and clutching one of her mother’s gowns, saying over and over again, ‘Come back. Please come back.’” 

Aella pressed a hand to her chest. “That’s heartbreaking.” She could tell he was sharing something he didn’t share often. He was offering her tender, achy feelings, and she needed to handle them with care. 

“I knelt beside her and held her until she cried herself to sleep. I knew we couldn’t leave her there. I convinced my parents to invite her to live at the palace with us.”

“You must be pretty important to her.” Aella said, a mix of sympathy and worry brewing in her mind. 

Liam nodded. “For almost two months, she wouldn’t leave my side.” A smile crept on his face. “Just about drove Drake crazy, actually, but--”

Olivia reappeared, interrupting Liam’s thought. “That Maxwell is a persistent one.” 

Liam smiled warmly at her. “He can be high energy.”

“Yes, I can tell.” She turned a sharp-toothed smile on Aella. “So, I bet you’ve never seen a countryside this spectacular. Aren’t you impressed?”

“Yes, it’s gorgeous,” she answered genuinely. “Your home is truly lovely. The snow, the lake, the trees… It’s absolutely breathtaking.” Liam gave Aella a fond, almost approving, look. 

Olivia looked thrown by the compliment, letting her icy exterior slip just enough to hint at something softer underneath. “Oh… well, yes. It is.” As soon as it came, it went. “I’m glad even someone like you can appreciate the elegance and splendor of nature.” 

Liam’s brow tensed as he started to say something, but Olivia cut him off, wrapping her arms around him. He dropped Aella’s hand. “Now, Prince Liam,” she cooed. The salutation sounded more like a lover’s pet name than a formal address. “I believe you owe me a round across the lake.” 

“Excuse me, Aella.” He smiled apologetically. “I  _ do _ owe her. I will see you later.” 

Olivia snaked her hand into Liam’s as they skated off together. 

An icy nausea settled into her gut as she absorbed the reality of her circumstances. When she’d started this adventure, she’d been so cocky about her special connection with Liam and hadn’t stopped to consider his past relationships with the other women. Olivia was a grade-A bitch to everyone else, but she and Liam had clearly been through a lot together. And it seemed she was showing Liam a softer side, one that only he had access to.

Before she could think too long about it, Hana skated in front of her with an unusually playful smirk. She swooped a neat circle around Aella. “Looks like Olivia stole Liam from you.” 

“It’s fine. Liam has obligations. I don’t take it personally,” she answered, mostly meaning it.

“That’s level-headed of you.” She twirled gracefully before coming to a full stop next to Aella. 

She gave Hana an impressed look. “Where’d you learn to skate like that?”

“Ice skating is one of the things my parents sent me to lessons for. To appeal to suitors. I was told ‘a display of elegance can go a long way.’” Long strands of her hair fluttered around her face. The wind had kissed her skin into a coral glow and her eyes sparkled like the glints of light on the snow. 

“Well, color me impressed.” 

“All right, everyone. It’s time to hit the slopes!” Olivia called out to the group and everyone followed her to the next event. 

Aella spent the rest of the afternoon watching Liam from afar as he devoted all of his attention to Olivia. She was able to distract herself with a ski race against Drake, who was turning out to be a lot more fun than he seemed originally. 

By the time they’d all made it back to the lodge that evening, she was exhausted, but happy to spend some downtime with her friends. They drank hot chocolate and enjoyed light conversation full of opportunities to tease Drake, which was quickly becoming her favorite Cordonian hobby. 

Suddenly, Maxwell shot them a foreboding look and murmured, “Watch yourself… We’ve got incoming.”

Olivia strutted into the room. “Well, hello, my dear guests. I hope you’re enjoying my spectacular hosting.”

“I always enjoy my time here with you, Olivia,” Maxwell said genially. 

“It’s… something.” Drake added, less convincingly. 

Olivia narrowed her eyes at Drake and gave him a razor thin smile. “Did you see that we have eclairs, Drake? They always remind me of dear, darling little  _ Savannah. _ She’d gobble them down like a sow at the trough.” 

Drake went eerily still. “Don’t talk about my sister,” he said quietly.

“Why ever not?” she crowed. “She was such a fixture at court, and then she just up and disappeared. You never told us what happened, and usually gossip is quick to spread.”

An angry electric tension filled the air as they all waited for Drake’s response. After a moment he spoke. “She left because of people like you.”

Olivia tapped her chin thoughtfully. “She always was the sensitive sort. Ladies like that don’t last long here.” Her eyes flickered in Aella’s direction. 

Drake’s jaw clenched, but immediately after, he looked at his watch, and visibly relaxed. “I just remembered, I’ve got somewhere I need to be. If you’ll excuse me.” He stood and bowed curtly to everyone, then walked briskly toward the exit.

“Wait, Drake, dear! Come back! I wasn’t finished with you!” Olivia called after him gleefully.

Anger lashed in Aella’s chest. Maybe there was a better side to Olivia that she wasn’t showing, but this was not it. This was just fucked up and cruel. She looked at Maxwell and Hana’s uncomfortable faces and realized no one was going to say anything. “Leave Drake alone before I slap that smile off your face,” she spat at Olivia.

She stared Olivia down, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see Drake hesitate at the door, just a moment, before leaving the room.

Olivia looked delighted at the challenge. “Ooh, does Cinderella have a soft spot for the rough-around-the-edges-commoner?” 

“Maybe I just don’t like seeing anyone get treated like that.” 

“What a valiant hero to the masses. They must sing songs about you.” She turned toward a mirror to check her reflection. “Now, as charming as this has been, I’ve got to get back to Prince Liam. I’ve promised him a  _ private _ tour of the Lythikos castle.” 

Tour? Didn’t Liam say he spent his childhood visiting this place?

Olivia winked at Aella before flouncing out of the room. 

“I can’t believe the things Olivia says,” Hana said woefully. “Poor Drake.”

Maxwell’s face furrowed in worry. “Yeah, he doesn’t usually let Olivia get under his skin like that.” 

“Well, I hope he’s all right,” Hana said. “I saw him go outside, but it’s not a good idea to be out there right now. I’ve heard there’s a storm brewing tonight.”

Anxiety and outrage continued to wrestle in her chest. She could stand to get away from the stifling heat of the lodge herself, and her mind snagged on the memory of Drake’s hurt expression. She stood up. “I’m going to go check on him.” 

Hana gave her a worried look. “Please be careful, Aella.” 

She followed the trail of snowy footprints into a clearing in the woods. Moonlit trees arched over him and the snow sent an eerie glowing light up around his legs as he stood stock still staring up at the sky. 

She called out to him and he startled at the sound of her voice. “Parks? What are you doing here?”

“I saw you going off on your own, close to dark with a storm coming, and I wanted to make sure you were okay. After what Olivia said to you… You seemed upset.”

Drake’s face hardened. “No offense, but you’re the last person I need looking out for me.”

“Well,” she threw her hands up in exasperation. These Cordonians really had a way about them. They either watched in silence as their friends were mistreated or they whipped their claws out in unnecessarily vicious attack. “I’ll just fuck off then.” 

His angry expression faltered. “That’s not what I… Oh, hell.” He ran his hand through his hair and looked off into the distance. “I’m not trying to be a jerk, Parks. I only meant that you shouldn’t have to worry about me. You should only be looking out for yourself.” 

His prickly armor seemed to drop away, deflating her own frustration unexpectedly. She softened her tone. “Well, too bad. That’s not my style.” 

“I guess not. Your  _ style _ is… unique.” He smirked at her. “You kiss Prince Liam with that mouth?” 

She feigned a dignified look, picking up on his attempt to lighten the mood. “Sorry if I offended your delicate sensibilities.” She gestured around at the trees. “What did you come out here to do, exactly?”

An uncharacteristically playful light flickered in his eyes. “If you really want to know, you’ll have to trust me.”

“Trust you?” The look on his face sent a ticklish feeling tingling over her skin.

He reached out to her and placed his hands on her shoulder, causing a pulse of alarming heat to thrum through her. His fingers gripped into her skin and suddenly, Aella was tumbling backwards, as Drake sent her toppling into the snow. 

“Hey!” she yelled, but almost immediately, her exclamation morphed into a gasp. Above her was the most magnificent night sky she’d ever seen. Several shooting stars streaked the glittering expanse.

There was a thud, accompanied by a spray of snow, as Drake landed next to her. They looked to each other to share a giddy smile before turning their eyes back to the sky. 

“This is absolutely gorgeous,” she said in awe. 

“Nothing beats a clear view of the sky during a meteor shower.” 

The vastness of the sky made her feel small in a way that diminished the storm of feelings she’d been harboring, until they seemed almost insignificant. Her problems seemed to drift away like errant snowflakes. “I’m glad I got to see this.” 

He was quiet for a moment, then said, “Really? Would’ve figured you’d rather eat bon-bons and dress up tiny dogs, or whatever Olivia had planned for the night.”

“I believe her plans are with Liam, and only Liam.” The thought jabbed painfully back into her thoughts, disrupting her newfound serenity. 

“Oh yeah…” Drake said tentatively. “They, uh… go way back.” He gave her a sidelong glance. Before she could ask him what he meant, he went on. “I used to do this with my younger sister, Savannah, every year.” He released a nostalgic sigh. “My dad used to do security for Liam and his brother, and my sister and I were allowed to hang out with the royals. Liam and I ended up getting close, even though I didn’t have the lineage to merit it.”  Aella let the pleasant lull of his peculiar accent float over her as he spoke. It was similar to Liam's but with an occasional southern twang plucking at his vowels . “Savannah, on the other hand,  _ loved _ living at the palace when we were kids, being around all the pretty dresses and jewelry. She got along with everyone.. But, when she was older...” 

“What happened?”

“She…” He stirred next to her as though he were shrugging. “It was hard on her. She couldn’t take it, I guess. After what happened with…” He trailed off. They sat in silence for a moment before he spoke again, his voice strained. “I failed her. I couldn’t protect her. I couldn’t protect her from this place… or these people.” He put a hand over his face and was quiet for another moment. “Sorry, it’s… I guess I’m still not ready to talk about it. This is more than I’ve talked about it with anyone in the last year, actually.” 

Drake had been so critical of her since she’d boarded that plane to Cordonia. But maybe she’d misread him. Perhaps, he was actually being protective. “Really? Does this mean you trust me?” 

“I don’t trust anyone, Parks.” One side of his mouth tugged upward. “But if I did… I’d start with you.” 

“Drake, that’s probably the nicest thing you’ve ever said to anyone.” 

His mouth relented into a full smile. “Heh. Maybe.” 

They sat in comfortable silence a few minutes longer, watching the shooting stars. She felt closer to him now, and it sparked a longing to get physically closer. She considered reaching out for his hand, or rolling over into his side. If Liam was exploring his options… maybe exploring Olivia that very moment, then should she be considering other people too? 

This moment with Drake felt… special and real. There was a logic to her growing interest in Drake. She couldn’t say the same about the sun flare moments with Liam that left an eerie afterprint in her memory in the long stretches where she simply watched him from afar. 

Before she could make a move, Drake sighed and sat up. “We better get back.” He looked over at her, still laying in the snow. “It’d be quite a scandal if…” His eyes skirted to her lips for just a moment. “...if I let one of the Prince’s suitors freeze to death out here on my watch.” 

“I’d hate for my untimely demise to cause you any difficulty.” 

“Not to mention that Maxwell would never let me hear the end of it.” He reached a hand down to her to help her up. “Now, let’s go.” 

She took his hand and got to her feet, slipping a little as she righted herself. She maintained her grip on him as he started to move toward the castle and he gave a surprised look down at their still joined hands. 

She shrugged. “For… y’know, safety.” 

He nodded and tightened his grip on her hand. “It’s really slippery out here.”

“Yeah.” 

He gave her a long look. “We should both be careful.” 

She mirrored his nod and they trudged their way through the deep snow. 

When they got back inside the chateau, she loosened her grip on him, but he held tight to her hand. Before they could part ways, he turned to her, stepping a little closer. “Listen, Aella…” 

“There you are!” Hana’s voice called out behind her. Drake hastily dropped her hand. A confused wave of alarm, guilt, and relief washed over her. Like she was coming free of a spell. Hana’s presence made Aella realize how foolish it would be to kiss Liam’s best friend. How complicated it would make things. Why was she always so drawn to complication? 

She turned toward Hana, feeling grateful for the interruption. “You’re up late!”

“I couldn’t sleep. With you and Drake out there… and the storm coming.” 

“I’m sorry we kept you up.” 

“Oh, I’m just glad you got back before it really started coming down out there! But you must be freezing, Drake, dressed in that.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, avoiding their eyes, already halfway to the staircase. “I’m going to go get changed. G’night, ladies.” 

Hana turned back to Aella. “I suppose we’d better go to sleep, too. The Cordonian Waltz is tomorrow after all, and we’ll need a good night’s rest to pull it off successfully. “

A defeated wave weighed down Aella’s limbs. “I don’t think any amount of sleep is going to improve my chances.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know the waltz.” 

“Oh dear!” Aella couldn’t help but laugh at the deep concern and shock on Hana’s face. This lack of preparation must be unthinkable to her. “It’s rather late, but I suppose if you wanted to, I could show you?” 

“I’d love to waltz with you,” she said. A bubbly, hopeful feeling fizzed inside of her. It reminded her of the feeling you got when you were little, before the age of crushes on boys, where your best friend was your partner-in-crime, and you’d just hatched a plan. They’d only known each other a few days, but Hana gave her those bestie-to-be butterflies, where you know you’re about to embark on an epic friendship. 

A smile brightened her face. “Lovely!” 

When they arrived at Hana’s room, they started moving aside furniture to create a space for dancing. 

“Alright,” Aaella clapped her hands together as Hana moved the last chair against the wall. “The Cordonian Waltz. How complicated is this going to be?”

“It depends. Do you consider yourself a good dancer?”

“I dance...” Aella grimaced thoughtfully. “... like nobody’s watching.” 

“Is that good?”

“At the very least, it means I’m willing to look a little silly.” 

Hana gave her a somewhat confused smile, but carried on. “Now, the Cordonian Waltz is a choreographed dance with specific steps. As long as you know your part for each of them, you can follow your partner easily.” 

Hana grabbed her phone to turn on some music. The tinny sound of a waltz sounded through her speaker. “Ready? I’ll be the Prince in this situation, so you can learn your part.” She widened her stance and puffed her chest out impressively. “Ahem.” She affected a deep, masculine voice. “Lady Aella.” 

“Prince Liam.” Aella gave an exaggerated curtsy, making Hana laugh. She always looked lovely, but especially so when she laughed. Her beauty seemed more focused and vivid. 

“Now we get into position. Let’s have you put your left hand on my shoulder.” Aella did as she said, and Hana grabbed her right hand with her left. Her skin was so soft, it felt like flower petals under her fingers. 

Hana applied light pressure to her body to guide her. “This is the box step. It’s the most basic movement and kind of like a bridge between the other steps.” 

Aella fell into step easily. “So far, so good.” 

Hana talked her through the next several steps. Hana was an excellent teacher, and the way she moved and guided Aella’s body was mesmerizing. Both confident and gentle. Aella knew exactly what to do without Hana needing to say a word. 

“Perfect!” Hana beamed. 

“I mostly just followed your lead.”

“That’s a good thing. You’re able to read me.” She stepped forward, going back to the box step. “Did you feel that slight pressure on your hand? It was a cue to move backwards.”

“Yeah… It’s an interesting way of communicating.”

Hana tilted her head thoughtfully. “Ultimately, the waltz is like a conversation. You and your partner make a connection, responding to each other to make the dance work.” Hana was quiet for a moment. “It’s kind of romantic, actually.” Her face slanted into a subtle frown. “The Cordonian Waltz is supposed to be a courtship dance, which is undoubtedly why Olivia chose it for the formal ball tomorrow.” 

Aella rolled her eyes. “Undoubtedly.”

“The last two steps are meant to be the most flirtatious. The spin…” She grasped both of Aella’s hands and began to swing her around. 

Aella released an involuntary laugh as she turned. “This feels too fun to be a formal dance. Am I doing it right?”

Hana gave her an easy smile. “You’re doing it perfectly.”

“Do you ever get a little dizzy from all the spinning?” 

“Oh! There’s a trick to that. Just focus your attention on one thing.” 

Aella felt better than she had all day. The spinning had her dizzy and silly. “Okay, I’ll focus on you.” 

Hana’s eyebrows raised ever-so-slightly. “I suppose that works.” The apple of her cheeks looked almost rose gold. “Now for the last move, the twirl…” Hana lifted one arm and placed her other hand on Aella’s hip, guiding her into an elegant spiral until she was encircled in Hana’s arms facing away from her. They swayed for a second as the music quieted, and Aella enjoyed the soft warmth of Hana’s body against her back. 

Hana cleared her throat and stepped away, dropping her arms. “And that’s the Corodnian waltz. If you know those steps, you’ll be more than fine.” She gave Aella an encouraging smile. “How do you feel about dancing it now?”

“I feel a little lost still.” 

“I know you might feel clumsy, but you were able to follow along well. I’m sure you’ll do great tomorrow.” 

“Well, if I do, it’ll all be because I had a good teacher. Ice skating, waltzing… How are you so good at all of these things?”

Hana gave a bashful wave of her hand. “As much as I’d like to claim it’s natural talent, it’s as I said before. My parents have been pushing me to learn all the courtly and social arts since I was young.” 

“You must have had no free time.” 

“Between school, dance, music lessons, and etiquette classes, my schedule was very full. My parents expected a lot.” She looked down, some of the light in her eyes dimming. “They were devastated when they didn’t have any sons, so they pinned all of their hopes on me. Every day of my life has been about grooming me to bring home fame and fortune to my family by winning some prince or noble’s hand.” She sighed. “For all the good it’s done after my last engagement.”

“Do you mind if I ask what happened? With your fiance?”

Her posture went rigidly straight and she huffed a short breath. “Peter was an English nobleman. He was well off and had an ancestral title and home… all of the things my parents always wanted for our family. We’d spend long afternoons horseback riding and sailing. He was very kind.” A forlorn smile tugged at her mouth. “All that and he’d been raised with romantic notions about true love and a lifetime of happily wedded bliss. It should have been perfect.” 

“But?”

“But… the simple truth was that I didn’t love him.” She sat down on the bed. She still looked prim and poised, but for Hana, it may as well have been a slump. “My parents never asked me what I wanted, never gave me a reason to think that I might also love the person I’d marry. So when he proposed, I knew I had to accept.” She sounded hollow as she recounted the moment. “I tried my best, but he became suspicious. At our engagement party a month before the wedding, he cornered me and he asked me if he was what I wanted.” A tremble began to creep into her voice. “And even though I told him what he wanted to hear, I couldn’t keep back the tears.” She sat still for a long moment, looking down at her folded hands. “He knew me well enough by then to know. He could tell that I was miserable. I don’t think he ever understood why I would’ve gone through with it.” Her eyes looked far away as she shook her head slowly. “But he was born to power and privilege. How could he understand?” She paused again, her eyes still fixed on her lap. “He was good enough not to make a big deal of it, but there was a lot of ugly speculation about why we parted. Especially because he got married shortly after to another woman.” She let out a long slow breath and looked up at Aella, the light slowly returning to her eyes, like a sunrise. “But that’s behind me now. My parents are upset with me, but they’ve given me another chance. Here, now.” 

“Aren’t you worried that history will repeat itself with Liam?”

“Well…” Her eyes dulled again. “I’m hoping that things will turn out differently this time. And I don’t want to disappoint my parents.” She smiled at Aella and said lightly, “Besides, it’s not all bad. They’ve been pressuring me to spend more time with you.”

“Why me?” Aella asked, surprised.

“Oh… I mean, you’ve got a special connection with the Prince.” A whisper of uncertainty passed over her features. “And if I’m close to you, then I’m closer to Liam.” 

The words hit Aella like a slug in the chest. Hurt bristled through her brain. “Wow… Is that all this is? A way for you to get close to the Prince?” She had truly believed they were becoming real friends. In a lot of ways, Hana felt like her only friend there. 

“Oh! No!” She looked panicked. “It’s not only that. That’s what my parents are hoping for, but…” Her mouth groped for the words. ”I like spending time with you. Your friendship is so important to me.” She stepped closer to Aella.

Her words were so sincere, her voice so pleading. It felt like Hana was declaring something important. Like they’d stepped into that next level together. Aella’s indignation drained away. “Your friendship is important to me, too.” 

Relief washed over Hana. “I’m glad.” 

The sound of the clock on the mantel striking midnight startled them. 

“I suppose we should get some sleep,” Hana said.

“Yeah, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She needed to get some rest to get through the next day. 

Hana walked her to the door and opened it for her. “Good night, Aella.” Impulsively, Hana reached over and hugged her. Aella felt a rush of joy crash over her as she embraced her back. She was filled with that unique comfort of having your best friend by your side, making everything feel a little more manageable, a little more fun, and a little more magical. 

  
  



	4. Ice and Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day two in Lythikos: Aella gets some alone time with Hana, Drake, and Liam.

The next evening in Lythikos, Aella was dressed to the nines and wondering what the hell she was doing there. It had been another day without seeing Liam, and now she was sitting in the ballroom-equivalent of the nosebleed section, in a foreign country, surrounded by strangers. 

Well, mostly strangers. Drake and Hana were with her. 

“Welcome to the table of exiles,” Drake quipped.

Aella offered him a relieved look when she saw him. “I’m happy to be sitting here. I was worried that I’d be stuck with some stuffy nobles.” 

Hana looked around the room appraisingly. “It’s probably meant to be an even bigger slight that we’re with a commoner.”

  
Aella plopped into the chair next to Drake. “Well, Olivia really missed the mark this time.”

Drake sat up a little straighter. “Thanks, Parks. That actually means something, coming from you.” His mouth quirked into what must pass for a smile for him. 

“Drake, you don’t seem bothered at all to be seated in the back,” Hana said. 

He shrugged. “What can I say? After enough years of getting treated like this, you build up a thick skin.” He leaned back in his chair, letting out a relaxed sigh. “Besides, back here? Out of the spotlight? At least we can relax.”

A series of waiters began carrying out dishes, serving the guests starting at the front of the room. 

Hana eyed the passing plates hungrily. “The food looks amazing. I hope they serve us soon! I’m starving.” 

Drake shook his head sagely. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up. Where we’re seated, we’ll be the last to eat. If there’s even any left by the time they get to us.” 

“But…” She eyed the passing trays longingly. “The lobster bisque. Do you really think we’ll go hungry?” Hana looked crestfallen. 

Aella gave her a conspiratorial smile. “Not if I can help it. This can’t be too different from hailing a taxi.” She stood up and scanned the room for a nearby server. When she spotted her mark, she called out. “Hey! Please…” She began to sway. “I’m about to faint. I need food.” She reached clumsily for the server, fluttering her eyes, and at the last moment, keeled precipitously backwards towards Drake.

He sprang up in alarm and in an impressively fast move, caught her in the strong, warm cradle of his arms just before she hit the floor. 

“Please… food…” she muttered weakly, partially breathless from the unexpected heat blossoming over her skin, erupting from every place Drake’s body made contact with her own. 

Bewildered, the server quickly put one bowl on the table before rushing off. 

Aella took one more savoring breath, breathing in Drake’s spicy scent, and composed herself. She opened her eyes and flashed him a toothy smile. He looked down at her, his expression a mix of shock and amusement, and perhaps something else too.

He cleared his throat and shook his head. “I can’t believe that actually worked.” He lifted her up and helped her to her chair.“ Just warn me before you take a dive. Next time I might not catch you.”

She wondered if the heat in her cheeks was as visible as it felt. “Oh, Drake,” she said, attempting a light tone. “You know I like to keep you on your toes.” 

Hana leaned over to examine the dish, a radiant smile lighting up her face. “Well, let’s examine our riches! One piping hot bowl of lobster bisque to split three ways?”

Aella raised her spoon victoriously. “Let’s dig in!” 

They huddled close together, Aella in the middle. Drake and Hana’s shoulders bumped softly against her own as they made quick work of the soup. 

Thirty minutes later, their stomachs were long past grumbling again, and the waiters continued to pass their table by. 

“Wow, the service here is terrible,” Hana sighed.

Aella looked around for any sign of a bar. “Can we at least get a drink or something?” 

“Now you’re speaking my language,” Drake said. “Unfortunately, we probably won’t see a  _ real _ drink at dinner. But from what I’ve seen, Olivia’s got quite a stash.”

“From what you’ve seen?” Hana asked.

“I did some exploring, and I happened to stumble across her wine cellar.”

“Really?” Aella asked with interest.

“Yeah, it’s pretty impressive, actually, and not a bad place to get away from all of this for awhile.” He leaned in close and murmured softly in Aella’s ear so only she could hear. “Why don’t you join me there for a drink tonight, Parks? If you’re not afraid of sneaking out after hours.” His warm breath tickled the hairs at the nape of her neck, causing each follicle to stand at attention.

Before she could reply, a server placed two more bowls of lobster bisque on the table. Hana's face lit up, and then, just as quickly, darkened into a frown as she stared down at her bowl. “There’s no lobster in my bowl. Just… bisque. This is the saddest soup I’ve ever seen.” 

Suddenly, the sound of stringed instruments sliced through the ballroom chatter as the musicians began to play. 

All eyes shifted toward Olivia, who stood just in front of the dance floor, looking powerful and sultry in a form fitting, black beaded dress. “Hello, dear guests, and welcome to the Nevrakis family’s chateau. It means so much to me that you would join me in this place that’s so dear to my heart.” Her voice was resonant and uncharacteristically warm. Her eyes were wide and adoring as she shifted her glance to Liam, who was sitting at a table nearby, smiling kindly back at her. “I hope you enjoy the festivities tonight as much as I will.” She turned her attention back to the crowd. “Now, everyone, please join me up front to begin the Cordonian Waltz.” 

The guests rose from their seats and began milling to the front of the room. 

“Well,” Aella dropped her napkin on the table, a determination welling up inside of her. “Let’s do this.”

Drake remained seated, his body stiff and his eyes avoiding contact with anyone else. 

“Aren’t you joining us Drake?” Hana asked politely. 

“Waltzing isn’t my thing. I’ll be here with the…” He looked down at his pitiful cold bowl of soup. “...food.”

Aella gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze as she walked past him toward the dance floor. When they finally made their way to the front of the room, they saw Prince Liam approach Olivia. 

“Olivia, may I have this dance?” Olivia... Not  _ Lady _ Olivia, but Olivia. Aella wasn’t even sure if this distinction was important, but it filled her gut with angry agitated jealousy. 

“Of course. Anything for you, Prince Liam.” She curtsied and Liam swept her up in his arms. 

Hana’s face furrowed in concern and she leaned close to Aella. “It would be unspeakably rude for Prince Liam to not dance this waltz with the hostess.” 

Aella felt a rush of appreciation for Hana. For noticing how she was feeling, and for trying to cheer her up. She mustered a carefree smile. “I guess that’s what happens when you have home court advantage.” 

Just then, Maxwell appeared, looking sharp in a crisp black suit. “Lady Aella, may I have the honor of this waltz?”

She hadn’t seen him much that evening and the sight of him made her realize that she had missed him. Guess she was getting used to having him around all the time. She gave him a playfully formal nod. “It is I who would be honored.” 

He bowed. “My lady.” 

Aella attempted to crack some jokes to Maxwell while they danced, like they usually did together, but he was glancing distractedly around them and giving her only obligatory “mhmm”s. 

“Looking for someone?” Aella asked. 

“Yeah, I’m trying to get close to Liam so you can dance with him next. But I’ve got to…” He trailed off briefly and lurched her to the right suddenly. “...time it right.” Suddenly he was pushing Aella away from him with a satisfied smile. “Time to switch partners!”

Once again, she found herself tumbling into Liam’s arms. “Why, hello there.” He smiled down at her, a polite smile on his face. 

She returned the smile as her nerves buzzed in response to his unexpected closeness. “Oh hello. I haven’t seen much of you lately.” 

“I know.” His smile faltered. “I’ve been a little preoccupied.” He looked past Aella, his face still poised in a polite expression, but his eyes betraying something stormier. “Olivia is the hostess, and I’d be remiss in my duties if I didn’t spend time with all of the women here.” His eyes returned to her face.

She maintained her breezy composure as best she could, but she felt foolish at how disappointed she was. That night in the hedge maze felt light years away. She attempted a flirty tone. “Why can’t you play favorites and stick with me?”

He laughed warmly. “Trust me. I’ve been tempted.” A hunger burned briefly in his eyes, but disappeared as quickly as a flash of lightning. “But no matter how I feel, I’m not just marrying for myself. I owe it to the people to consider every possibility and choose what’s best.” His tone was disappointingly neutral and matter-of-fact. 

“I understand,” she said quietly, feeling put in her place. Everyone had been telling her over and over that this was the royal life. This is what she was signing up for. Somehow, she still needed the reminder. 

As they reached the final step of the dance, Liam twirled her around and held her close against him, lowering his mouth to her ear. “But you should know… You  _ are _ special to me.” The warm buzz of his voice sent a ticklish feeling through her body. He spun her around, holding her gaze, until Olivia floated into her field of vision. 

“Ahem, Lady Aella. I believe he’s  _ my _ partner now.” 

She tried to share a commiserating look with Liam, but his expression was courteous and detached. She dropped his hand reluctantly and turned back to Maxwell. 

Maxwell smiled at her in greeting. “Watching you two together… I can tell that Liam cares for you a lot.” 

“Yeah, but… our relationship is so strange. It’s not like he can just sweep me off my feet and carry me out of here.” 

Maxwell nodded understandingly. “When you’re royalty, the rules are different.” 

“I know that. And yet…” She trailed off as Maxwell’s expression shifted to a look of alarm. 

She turned around just in time to see Olivia lean in close to Liam and press her lips to his. 

Aella’s body felt suddenly hollow, as though the slightest touch would send the walls of her body collapsing in on themselves. She kept waiting for the moment where Liam pushed her away, or pulled back. Waiting for him to find her eyes and send his silent apologies. But the kiss seemed to go on endlessly, and with every passing second, more blood drained from her head. Olivia’s hands slid around his back, evoking a stinging serpentine anger through Aella’s limbs. Judging by the way her arms explored his body, this was not their first kiss. 

Finally, he pulled gently away. 

Olivia's voice was soft and vulnerable. “Liam…”

“Olivia, uh, let’s… talk. Perhaps outside?”

Aella watched them walk out of the ballroom together and felt drowned in a rush of humiliation. He hadn’t even looked her way. She had been deluding herself about her place here. 

She broke free from Maxwell and hurried off of the dancefloor. As she made her way through the crowd, she caught bits and pieces of conversations happening between the other ladies.

“Well, that was a bold play.”

“We always knew that she and the Prince were close.” 

“It was a power move if you ask me.” 

Aella meandered aimlessly throughout the room, trying to give the appearance of intention, so that no one would stop to talk to her. She kept her eye on the doorway that Olivia and Liam had slipped through, but thirty minutes, then an hour passed, and there was no sign. She cursed herself for pathetically waiting for him to come back. But she yearned for reassurance from him. Or just another one of those moments he seemed to always provide. A chance to feel special to him again. 

Time passed slowly, and just as the night was about to end, she saw Liam return to the ballroom, looking as composed as ever, which sent another shock wave of anger through her that she didn’t quite understand. 

Having reached her limit of boredom and jealousy, she stood up and headed for the ballroom exit. Just as she reached the doorway, she felt a hand gently grip her shoulder. 

She turned to find Liam, looking frustratingly handsome as always. “Lady Aella.” He reached for her hand to kiss it. “As usual, you are a vision, You look lovely.” 

She yanked her hand back unceremoniously. He gave her a look of hurt surprise, which, she wasn’t proud to admit, felt pretty satisfying.

Her voice shook embarrassingly as she blurted out the words that had been repeating in her head like a skipping record all night. “You kissed Olivia.”

His brow furrowed, but he maintained his composed demeanor. “It was an unexpected advance. She caught me by surprise.”

“You didn’t seem to mind.” She couldn’t hide the edge in her voice.

His face softened and his diplomatic disposition seemed to shudder and slip away for a moment. “I thought it would be better to handle it quietly and cause less of a scandal… I didn’t want to embarrass her.” 

Aella swallowed back several salty retorts. “I guess that’s a good point.” She averted her gaze from him. 

He tilted his head, trying to catch her eye again, apology writ across his features. “I know we haven’t seen each other much this trip.”

She sighed. “It’s been a hectic few days.” 

“A strange few days. I spend all of these events rushing from person to person, trying to say the right things and keep all the nobles happy.” He stepped closer. Once again, she saw the flicker of heat and longing buried deep in his gaze. “But at night, I find myself lying awake for hours in the grand suite, unable to sleep.” His eyes burned into her, saying the unspoken part: that he was thinking of her. 

A flush filled her cheeks and she tried to sound breezy and unaffected by the night’s events. “The grand suite? That sounds fancy.” 

“Oh, it’s the best room. It’s upstairs at the end of the quiet east wing. It comes with everything… even a hot tub under the stars, overlooking the mountains.”

She stepped a little closer. She recognized this. This was an invitation. The first one he’d initiated since he’d invited her out with them the night of the bachelor party. The Statue of Liberty trip, the hedge maze, the cronuts run, even their brief moment at the derby. She had initiated all of these moments. She didn’t know whether to scold herself for always being the one finding him, or excited that he was making the first move at last. “Sounds…romantic.”

“It would be… with the right person. Unfortunately,” he sighed dramatically, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. “I’ve got no one to share it with.”

“Maybe I can help you with that.”

“Oh? Are you sure you can manage it?”

She honestly didn’t know the answer to that question. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m not making any promises… yet.”

“Prince Liam? If I might interrupt?” Lady Penelope stood close by. 

Aella startled at the sound of her voice disrupting their moment. But Liam didn’t miss a beat. He turned a polite expression to Penelope, looking perfectly pleased with the interruption. “Of course. I know we haven’t spoken all day, Lady Penelope.” His ability to conceal all evidence of the heat that had been blossoming between them a moment before left her feeling unsettled. 

He turned to Aella and kissed her hand. “Lady Aella, good night.” 

***

Aella’s head swam recounting the events of the evening. She walked dazedly through the chateau foyer, trying to decide whether or not to take Liam up on his invitation. She wanted to go. Badly. She wanted extra time with him. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was deeper into this than he was. Normally she wouldn’t let something like that stop her, but this time, it felt dangerous to risk the hurt and public humiliation that would ensue if he didn’t end up choosing her. 

She heard the light tinkling of a piano in the parlor and decided to peak in. Hana was sitting contemplatively at the piano, staring out the window, her hands perched on the keys, but not moving. 

“Hi, Hana,” Aella said softly. 

Hana startled but greeted her with a big smile. “Aella! I lost track of you after...” Her bright expression faltered. “Are you okay?”

Aella waved her hand and gave a probably-unconvincing smile. “Oh, I’m great! I just heard you playing and thought I couldn’t pass up a chance to hear your famed musical talents.”

“Me?” She looked genuinely surprised. “I’m no one special.” 

Aella took a few more steps into the room. “Well, from what I can tell, you’re pretty exceptional.”

Hana looked away, smiling. “I have to admit, I’m nervous to play in front of you.” 

“Why?”

Hana ran her finger absentmindedly over one of the keys. “It’s been a long time since I performed publicly. My parents used to trot me out at every dinner party and luncheon to perform.” A nervous laugh tittered out of her. “Until one day when they forced me to play at a ball and I made an absolute fool of myself, missing every note and playing out of key.” 

“Sounds like you were angry.”

Her face relaxed as she gave Aella a look of surprise. “That’s right… Everything I’ve learned, everything I’ve become… It’s all for my family. So they could one day marry me off to the highest ranking man they can find.” She stretched her hands out just above the keys, as though she yearned to touch them, but didn’t dare. “Playing the piano was the first thing I’d ever actually enjoyed. I couldn’t bear for them to take that too, and make it theirs. I wanted just  _ one thing _ for myself.” She took a tremulous breath. “Anyway, my lapse in performance cured them of dragging me up on stage.” A small guilty smile formed on her face. “You should’ve seen the couples dancing. Without a beat to follow, they were running into each other and tumbling down left and right.” She threw her head back, throwing her hair over her shoulder. “My parents were mortified, but I saw it as a victory. And I promised myself that I’d never play for anyone but myself again.”

“Oh, Hana. I don’t want to pressure you into something…”

“Oh, this is  _ my _ decision.” She spun around so she was facing the piano. “And that makes it entirely different.” She patted the space next to her and looked up at Aella. “So, sit.” 

She sat on the bench as Hana settled herself, taking a deep breath and placing her hands delicately over the keys. She began to play a beautiful and haunting melody, and a confidence Aella hadn’t seen in Hana before seemed to shimmer around her. Her face was set in a concentrated frown. Her fingers dancing agilely over the keys. So gracefully that you could hardly tell they were touching. The music tugged at something in Aella’s chest. Like Hana had plunged her heart into a deeply lonely memory, surrounded by pinpricks of hope that danced tauntingly far away. 

Aella sat stunned for a moment after the song ended, processing the experience. An unfamiliar longing had settled in her chest; like Hana had wrested it from her own memory and placed it inside Aella for safekeeping.

Hana gave her a tentative look and her voice was soft, but rich as she spoke. “There’s something so exhilarating about playing for someone else! I’d forgotten what that feeling was like.”

Aella stared back at her, dumbfounded. “Hana, that was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”

Hana pressed a hand to her lips, covering her smile. “Thank you. That means so much coming from you. That song is actually one I composed myself.” 

“Really?”

“Yes, I wrote it when I was twelve. That was such a lonely time for me.” Her smile slowly faded away like a wave slinking back from the shore. “I would sit by a pond at the edge of our estate, watching the water lilies bobbing in the water as the sun set. I remember so vividly letting my fingers trail in the water, pretending to play the magical piano keys floating in the pond. Sometimes I’d stay out there for hours, just letting the melody run through my head.” She sighed. “My mother was always very cross when she’d have to come find me out there. I’m afraid I was a rather morose child.”

Aella pictured the young Hana she was describing, the remnants of the beautiful song still echoing in her head. She wished she could wrap her arms around her and tell her that it would be okay. That she knew what it was like to be an isolated child longing for more, and that one day they would find each other and they’d never have to feel so lonely again. “That doesn’t sound morose to me. That sounds beautiful.” Hana gave a sad, but appreciative smile. Aella continued. “I wish we’d known each other as kids.”

Another smile surged into her features. “I’m sure my childhood would have been full of much more adventure and excitement if that’d been the case.” 

“Too bad we don’t have a time machine.” 

Hana laughed a little and the light that returned to her face felt like a warm beam of sunshine. “That’s okay. What matters is that  _ now _ I’m having a wonderful time with you.”

“Me too.” 

“Thank you for spending this time with me tonight, Aella. It really meant a lot to me to be able to share that with you.” Hana’s words filled her chest with an emotion she couldn’t quite identify. 

“Thank you for sharing your music with me. I appreciate that you trust me so much.”

Hana tilted her head a little as though considering. “What can I say? You’re my best friend here. Maybe the only friend I’ve ever had, actually.” 

“Well, I feel lucky.” Aella grabbed Hana’s hand. She meant it as a friendly gesture, but felt knocked off balance when she saw how Hana tensed a bit and her skin flushed that lovely rose gold shade.

“Well, it’s getting late. We should probably turn in for the night.” 

Aella cleared her throat, nodded, and released Hana’s hand. “Oh yeah, definitely.” 

They said their goodbyes, and when Hana left the room, she felt jittery and on edge. What she could really use was a nightcap. 

She remembered Drake’s invitation from earlier and wandered out into the foyer to search for the stairwell he’d said led down to the wine cellar. Drake was always a good escape from the courtly charade, and he’d certainly have a drink to offer her. 

She made her way down a spiraling staircase into a dimly lit room lined with shelves upon shelves of dusty wine bottles. Drake glanced up at her as she descended, an empty highball glass in his hand. 

“There you are, Parks. I was beginning to think you didn’t have the guts to show. Y’know, breaking the rules, out after curfew and all that.” 

“Pssh, I’ve broken rules that would make your toes curl.”

His eyebrows lifted. “I bet. So what’re you drinking?”

She gestured to the bottle of whiskey on the table in front of Drake. “That looks good to me.” She watched him pour the amber liquid into a couple of glasses. “So. You come down to the wine cellar to drink whiskey? Doesn’t that seem a little silly?”

“I come down here to get a little commoner time by myself where I don’t have to bow and kiss hands for a few minutes.” He handed her a glass. 

She rolled her eyes playfully at him. “If you hate the nobility so much, why do you stick around?”

“It must seem ridiculous to you.”

“I don’t understand why you put yourself through it.”

He sighed and a grim expression settled on his features. “It’s Liam. It’s always been for him.”

She almost laughed at the idea. Liam had a kingdom at his fingertips. What more could he need? “He seems to be doing alright. Crown Prince of Cordonia, and all.” 

He shook his head as though he didn’t know where to begin explaining how wrong she was. “I know he’s got nobles and courtiers all around him, but most of them would stab him in the back if they thought they could profit from it. I’ve seen so many underhanded moves that I don’t trust any of them anymore. And these are from our  _ friends. _ ” 

Aella opened her mouth to tease Drake, but his face was so wrought with worry, she thought better of it. “Well, I’ll watch out.” 

“Good.” He took a sip from his glass. “Money and power make people do crazy things, Parks. I just don’t want to see you get hurt because of it.”

“Drake--” she started to protest.

“I mean, sometimes I look at you…” His words dragged a bit more than usual and he gestured animatedly while he spoke. “And I see this wide-eyed baby deer who just stumbled into the hunter’s campsite.”

“A baby deer?” she said, offended. She puffed her chest out impressively. “I’m more like an alpha wolf.” She threw back her whiskey and put the glass in front of Drake, cuing him to refill her glass. “Anyone coming at me should be prepared for a fight.” 

He chuckled as he poured them both another drink. “You know what, come to think of it, maybe it’s the hunters I should be worried for.” He leaned back in his chair and looked her over, as though getting the measure of her. “Your unique talent seems to be putting me in my place.” 

“Someone’s gotta do it.” 

He kept his intense gaze trained on her. “What is it about you? You’re so frustrating, but…” He trailed off. 

“But?” 

He shook his head. “Forget it. How about a toast, instead?”

She didn’t press him, sensing they were headed into dangerous territory that she might not be strong enough to avoid now that she was two drinks in. Her head and heart were all over the place these days, like a dog jumping up to howl at every whisper of a sound that called to her. “What are we toasting to?” 

He thought for a moment. “To the moments in between.”

“Pardon?”

He spoke slowly and thoughtfully. “All the nobles think about are the big events. The grand balls, the press appearances, the banquets. They don’t even realize that the moments that matter the most are all the ones they’re missing.” He leaned forward. “Moments like right now, just the two of us and some cheap whiskey. The ones that really mean something.” He gave her a tipsy smile and held her gaze. “At least, it means something to me, anyway.” 

That look filled her with a feeling she didn’t know what to do with. She wouldn’t say it was unwelcome, exactly, but she didn’t have the energy or mental faculties to handle it tonight. “This is the most fun I’ve had all day!” she said casually.

He seemed satisfied with that, giving an easy smile before throwing back his drink. “Me too.” 

“To the moments in between,” she toasted, and finished her drink as well. 

They chatted and shared one more drink, until she realized she was too drunk to continue. They said their goodbyes and she tottled precariously back up the spiral staircase. 

As she entered the foyer, stopping by Liam’s room suddenly seemed like a grand idea. She didn’t feel so insecure as she had earlier in the night. Rather, she felt ready for the competition. She just needed some more alone time with Liam, and Olivia wouldn’t stand a chance. 

Despite her unannounced arrival, Liam looked unflappable as always. As he held open the door for her, he said, “Welcome. I take it nobody saw you.” 

“Nooo…” She tapped him on the nose, trying to create a ripple in the steadily calm waters of his mood. “What? Are you embarrassed by me or something?” 

He gave her a somewhat strained smile. “Of course not. It’s just… it would cause quite a scandal if someone saw a lady coming to my room so late at night.” 

“Between you and Hana, I never stop hearing about the scandals I’m on the verge of causing.”

His face relaxed as his eyes traveled the length of her body. “You look lovely. That dress is spectacular.” 

She curtsied playfully. “Why thank you. Hana told me I looked like a magical snow storm earlier.” 

His face stayed the same, but his mood seemed to turn inward for a brief moment. “You and Hana are becoming close.” 

“Well, I get to spend a lot of time with her, while I wait to spend time with you.” She leaned into him, craning her neck up to look at him. 

In response to her touch, he snaked his arms around her, his hands resting on her lower back, and he lowered his mouth to her ear. “I’m glad you came.” He planted a light kiss on her neck just behind her ear, sending an electric pulse careening down to her core. “I want to show you something.”

He took her hand and pulled her further into the room. Her heart gave a jittery leap as they moved near the bed, but instead of stopping there, he led her out to a patio overlooking a spectacular view. The snowy mountains emitted a magical purple glow. A hot tub bubbled gently on the deck, surrounded by candlelight. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it? Now you see why I wanted to share it with someone. Do you like it?”

“It’s incredible.” He was standing a few feet from her and the distance crackled with energy. She wanted to cross the space between them, but he seemed to be holding her at arm’s length much of the time. Although, this felt like it was leading to more. 

They were both quiet for a moment. The lazy sound of the hot tub bubbles soothed her as the occasional icy breeze danced past them. Liam’s deep voice filled the air between them. “Aella, I’ve never really had someone that I wanted so badly to please. I feel like I’d do anything to see you smile and know that I was the cause.”

“Liam…” Her mind was muddled from the whiskey, but a yearning ached in her bones. He was doing the thing again, where he made her feel impossibly special. Where he looked at her like she was a precious relic, grateful for the opportunity to set eyes on her. It made her legs feel weak. 

He gave a shy smile and cleared his throat. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get into the hot tub.” He calmly, with no sense of urgency, began unbuttoning his shirt. Her breath quickened as more and more of his chest became exposed. Despite the snow-kissed breeze, heat rushed into her face when she heard the metal chink of him unbuckling his belt. He slid it out of his pant loops with a swift swish. “Brisk.” 

Her lips parted as he pulled down his pants, revealing only a pair of black boxer briefs. She tried to keep her voice as steady as possible when she spoke. “We’re in your room. Don’t you have a bathing suit?” 

“I do. But I’m assuming you don’t. And it would be ungentlemanly to make you be the only one in their underwear.” He walked toward her slowly. Her entire body tingled in anticipation of his touch, but instead, he stepped around behind her. “Your turn,” he breathed in her ear. 

She brushed her hair over her shoulder and presented her back to him, an invitation for him to touch her. 

His breath hitched quietly and he stepped close enough that she could feel his warmth along her back. His soft hands skimmed gently over her exposed back before finding the zipper on her dress. “You have the most beautiful back.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her shoulder as he tugged the zipper down and the tense fabric relaxed around her body before pooling at her feet. 

She shivered in the cold wearing only a skimpy pair of underwear and a strapless bra, aching for his touch, but no touch came. She turned around and he was staring at her hungrily, but keeping his hands to himself. 

The cold wind swept over her bare skin. “Wow, that  _ is  _ brisk.” 

“Then let’s warm up.” He held a hand out to her and helped her climb in. 

Her body sank into the bubbling warmth. “Ohhhh, this feels nice.”

“There are few things better than a hot tub in the snow.” He sat himself at the far end of the hot tub. She couldn’t pinpoint what his expectations were for tonight. He’d invited her to his room late at night and they were nearly naked. He’d just undressed her himself. Yet now he sat as far away from her as possible.

“Aella, I feel like I’ve been waiting for this moment the entire trip.” His eyes were full of heat as they glided down to her cleavage. 

“I know what you mean. We’re finally alone together.” 

“Exactly.” His tone was almost pleading. “I feel like I can be myself around you. You don’t know how rare that is for me. I’ve spent so long building up an image for the rest of the world…” He stretched his arms wide over the edge of the hot tub. “But you let me just be Liam.” He straightened his legs out in front of him and accidentally collided with her leg.

Rather than pull away, she leaned into the touch, slowly sliding her legs over him and pressing them between his calves. “I happen to like Liam.”

His legs squeezed together around hers, sending a flare of desire into her stomach. “I’m glad to hear that. You may be the only woman here who truly knows me.”

A trace of doubt cracked through her alcohol-infused confidence. “What about Olivia?” 

A sad look sat heavily on his features. “Olivia knows my past, but she’s as caught up in the courtly image as anyone else. You…” He leaned forward and placed a hand on her knee under the water. “You actually see me. That’s why I’ve got to be careful with you.” 

“Careful?” The question escaped her lips in a breathy puff of air. 

“I would never forgive myself if I…” He leaned back and relaxed his hold on her legs, a torn expression filling his eyes. “... if I hurt you in any way.”

“I know what I’m getting myself into.” She said more confidently than she felt. She was sick of everyone’s concern over something she hadn’t even had the chance to experience. She’d gotten enough of that from her parents. This adventure was meant to get her away from all of that. Frustrated by his absence, and overwhelmed by the need to get closer, she rushed across the water and climbed into his lap. “Besides, sometimes being naughty is more fun.”

He shook his head but he was sporting a satisfied smile. She could feel his satisfaction pressing up between her legs. “You’re a scandal waiting to happen.” 

“Yet you’re not afraid.” She pressed her hips down onto his lap. 

“I probably should be,” he groaned. “And yet… something about you makes me as fearless as you are.” His hands slipped around her waist and he guided her as she began to rock slowly against him. His words came out in increasingly heavy breaths. “Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to you.”

His lips crashed into hers, his kiss rougher than ever before. His lips felt burning hot in contrast to the mountain cold. The rough stubble on his chin scraped pleasantly against her face. She was desperate for the kind of contact that made her feel irreplaceable. The kind that made him forget his moment with Olivia, because he was too busy learning her. She began to move rhythmically, pressing more feverishly into him. When she pulled back to take a breath, she noticed a pained look on Liam’s face, his eyes clenched tightly shut. She held herself back. 

He opened his eyes looking for her and gave her an inquisitive look. 

“What is it?” she asked him.

Liam stroked the side of her face with wet fingers and stared intently into her eyes. 

“I was just thinking… what does love mean to you, Aella?”

Her head began to swim from the alcohol and the heat rising up from the water. This was not what she was expecting him to say. She searched her mind for an answer. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been in love before. She thought about her parents and her family growing up. The noise that always filled their walls; a constant flow of chatter, music, and kitchen sounds. The way her mother made her father laugh like no one else could. Knowing who was coming to comfort her after a bad dream by the cadence of their footsteps down the creaky hallway. “Love is… building a happy life together?”

“That’s a very sweet picture of love.” There was sorrow in his tone. Like love was a make-believe story he’d bought when he was a kid, but didn’t believe in anymore. 

She pulled back a bit, feeling lightheaded and confused. “What about you?”

“I don’t know that I’ve ever thought about it in the past. I certainly wasn’t raised to have any expectation of romance in my life. It was only when I saw my brother fall completely in love that I realized how important… how  _ life-changing _ love can be.”

She shook her head trying to make sense of his meaning. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying…” He took a deep breath and what started as a determined expression morphed into angst. “Oh, Aella. I shouldn’t be saying anything to you, not right now. Part of me is furious with myself that I’m not treating everyone fairly. But the other part of me wants to damn all these princely responsibilities and throw myself into you.”

He hit her with a look so earnest it knocked the wind out of her. His princely decorum was completely gone. She felt like she was finally fully seeing the real Liam. She leaned close to him and whispered into his lips, “I could throw myself into you.” 

“I know..” He turned away from her mouth. “And I probably wouldn’t resist long. But I don’t want to do something you might come to regret. Even if you don’t feel that way now.” 

Message received. She needed to back off. She climbed off of him and sat close to his side, hurt seeping into her brain. 

“In this moment, let’s just enjoy this little time together while it lasts.” He reached his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She nuzzled into his chest. “I treasure all of our moments together, Aella.”

“Me too,” she yawned. 

They gazed out at the moonlit mountains together deep into the night. Saying nothing. Just holding each other. Aella must have dozed off because suddenly, Liam was lifting her head gently with his hand. 

“It’s getting late.”

“Yeah,” she said drearily. 

She felt unsteady as she climbed out of the tub, and Liam gathered her in his arms, wrapping a towel around her. He squeezed her close into his body and she let herself relish his warm, firm embrace.

She made her way to his bathroom and peeled off her underwear and bra before pulling her dress back on. She looked over his sink at the different soaps and toiletries. It felt strangely intimate being in his bathroom. Hurt plucked a note of sadness in her chest, realizing how much more she wanted of him in his life, not knowing the next time she’d get a moment alone with him. 

She took a steadying breath and painted a bright smile on her face as she came back out to the main room. “I’ll see you soon?”

His eyes floated down to the hand that was holding her discarded underwear. Heat flashed in his eyes. “You know I can only stay away from you for so long.” He stepped closer to her, her body pulsing in response as his eyes traveled over her longingly. She said a secret prayer that he would ask her to stay after all. But instead, he grabbed her hand, and brushed his lips lightly over her knuckles. “Good night, Lady Aella.” 


	5. The Forgotten Falls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam and Aella fall.

“There’s a legend about how this waterfall came to be,” Liam said over the sound of the crashing water of the Forgotten Falls.

Half an hour ago Aella had been deep in the courtly trenches, making polite conversation in the hot sun, biding her time until she could see Liam again, and now she felt completely transported to a different land. A twinkly magic clung to the sunset-caressed greenery. The air was filled with the sharp, musical chirps of unfamiliar birds. The lengthening shadows cut vivid shapes of every object. And Liam was the most vivid figure of all, and she was alone with him at last.

His gentle eyes fluttered over her face, apparently pleased by her reaction to this hidden gem he had surprised her with. It was these little surprises that she clung to in their moments apart. The ways, big and small, that he let her know he thought about her as special. That he set her apart. He seemed to always find a way to send those messages, like catering the beach party with American bbq, just so she’d feel more at home.

Much to her relief, he looked relaxed and happy. She had been worried about him since the regatta that morning. He’d looked so stunned when his father announced he was stepping down, and they’d barely had a chance to talk about it.

“It’s said that hundreds of years ago, there were two lovers from warring clans. They were forbidden from being together, but they would meet here, at this hidden cove, and make their plans to run away together. When the day came for them to leave, they vowed to meet here at dawn. When dawn came, the woman waited and waited, but her lover never appeared. They say that he was caught by her people and killed. But she never had the heart to leave this spot. So she knelt on the cliffs and wept, and her tears became the waterfall, until that’s all that was left of her.”

“That’s a sad story,” she said with a sigh. She studied his face. He looked a million miles away swimming in the deep end of some contemplation. He had that same childlike wonder in his eyes that he’d had when staring up at the Statue of Liberty. She loved to witness the quiet force of his emotions. She grabbed his hand and laced her fingers through his. “And yet… there’s something so sweet about it.”

He squeezed her hand gently back and ran his thumb slowly back and forth over the back of her hand. “I’ve always thought that she was waiting because she knew if she left, it would mean admitting her love was gone.” He was quiet for a moment and they both looked out at the falls. “There’s one silver lining to this story.”

“Oh?” She followed his gaze to the top of the falls. A precarious arrangement of slippery, moss covered rocks.

“It’s said that if two lovers climb to the top of the waterfall and jump in together, they’ll get the blessing of the lady of the waterfall.” His gaze floated sheepishly towards her own.

She grabbed his other hand and tugged him a little closer. “Is this your way of telling me you think we should be lovers?”

His eyebrows raised in surprise. “I didn’t think… I mean, I wasn’t trying to...” A deep blush framed the bashful smile creeping out towards his cheeks.

“So.. you don’t _ever_ think about it?” He had been so chaste with her up to this point, she couldn’t help but tease him a little more. She loved to see his professional decorum ruffle a bit.

“I didn’t say _that_. I’m only human, Aella.” He looked her over and smirked. “Besides, would it be presumptuous of me to guess that _you’ve_ had similar thoughts?” His Mediterranean accent danced playfully over the words. Without warning, he pulled his shirt off and tossed to the side.

Aella drank in the angles and slopes of his body as heat flooded her body. “I... er… I have thoughts.”

He quiet laugh rumbled in his chest. “Are you ready?”

She cocked her head up to look at the steep cliff. She was most definitely not ready. But a silly part of her needed that blessing, and she would have done just about anything Liam asked of her.

The climb did nothing to calm her nerves, as she slipped several times on the slick rocks. After one particularly rough fall, Liam insisted she sit down so he could examine the red welt on her knee. His fingers coasted carefully over her skin, blessing her with a temporary calm, until he deemed her sufficiently intact to continue the trek to the top.

When they reached the top of the cliff, Aella peered over the edge of the waterfall, dizzying at the bottomless view below. The depths they had planned to jump to were obscured by the misty, chaotic collision of churning water below. “I didn’t realize how high up we are!” A tense panic washed over her.

He squeezed her hand. “It’s better if you don’t think about that right now. I think some would call this a leap of faith.” That look he gave her. Like he’d take on the entire world to ensure her safety. Her head was still spluttering protests, but her heart was fully convinced, and she was the one behind the steering wheel at the moment. “On three?”

She couldn’t remember pushing off but suddenly the wind was rushing violently around her as she catapulted down towards the water. An exhilarating panic exploded out of her in the form of scream, but through the terror of it, she felt the warm tether of Liam’s hand assuring her that she was safe.

The water hit her like a full body slap. Her scream and the rush of the waterfall was muffled. The world became a blur of blue and pressure and one stable anchor tugging her body to the surface. Liam has managed to hold on to her the whole time.

When she’d made impact with the water, she’d known the world to be one way. A wide flat trajectory that always felt too small, too limiting. By the time she had kicked her way back to the surface, something had solidified in her. Something that had been dispersed throughout her limbs, hovering around her heart but not quite committing to form. It pulled together and compacted into a hard undeniable force in her chest. Something she hadn’t experienced before, but felt as natural and familiar as her own name. Suddenly endless dimension and depth were available to her. What had seemed so thin and simple was revealed to be full of endless possibilities.

Adrenaline coursed through her as her lungs refilled with air in erratic breaths. Liam clutched her close to his chest, a look of pure joy on his face. He nuzzled into her neck, a soft moan escaping his lips, soothing her trembling spirit.

“Thank you,” he murmured in her ear.

She wiped the water from her eyes as she caught her breath. “For what?”

“For coming here with me. For actually getting to know me. For…” He swallowed. “For caring about me. I’ve never had anyone in my life like you. And now that I have you… I never want to lose you.”

His dark eyes burned into her. Her limbs still felt charged with the excitement from their jump, and she couldn’t resist wrapping her body around his. She laid her hands on his chest and tangled her legs around his waist as she touched her lips to his.

“Aella…” he murmured, smiling into her kiss.

“You can’t say all those romantic things to me and not expect to get kissed.”

“Fair enough. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it… It’s just…”

“Just what?” She pulled back a bit, the solid feeling in her chest shuddering at the distance between them.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen… but the last thing I’d want is for you to get hurt.”

A tinge of hurt flicked at her thoughts. Was this about the announcement today? He must still have reservations about her readiness to be queen. She knew it was a valid concern, but dammit. She wanted this. She needed to convince him she was made of stronger stuff. “That’s sweet of you, but… I can take care of myself. I would’ve thought you’d know that by now.”

He nodded apologetically. “You’re right. I’m usually a quicker study, I promise. It’s just… I care about you. More than you know… and definitely more than I should.”

He pinned her with a look that held none of the reservation of his words. He kissed her with more roughness than ever before, sending shockwaves through her body. He tugged her toward the smooth stone slab of the shore, and laid her down. The water lapped softly against her sides as his lips pressed hungry, biting kisses down the curve of her neck.

Aella ran her fingers through the wet hair at the nape of his neck and shifted so she was fully under him, her legs spread apart around his hips. He pinned her hands to the cool rock beneath them. Just when she could feel his excitement pressing into her, he pulled away breathlessly. Their foreheads kissed as he stared into her eyes, dark with desire and tenderness.

“We haven’t known each other very long, but every moment I spend with you, I can’t help but feel... “ He took a deep breath. “Aella, I think… I’m in lo--”

Suddenly, something rapidly exploded from the bushes next to them. The rainbow arc of a startled bird crested above them and a blur of red skittered out from the underbrush. Liam jumped up in alarm, shielding Aella protectively. When he realized it was just a fox chasing a bird, they laughed, and she clutched her chest, her heart pounding in anticipation of what she knew he was about to confess. “You were saying?”

Liam gave a short huff. “Never mind. It was nothing.” He shook his head and an aching disappointment seeped into her like the cold water wading around her. “I suppose we should head back.”

As she strained to make out her surroundings through the periwinkle shadow of twilight that had descended upon them, she knew he was right. It was getting dark and cold, and the sun was setting on their stolen moment. It was time to return to the reality of their situation, the exhausting strain of too much time apart, and the constant exercise of convincing herself that she was the one he wanted above all else. But she would do it. She knew what Liam needed of her, and she was ready to take that leap of faith. She was already freefalling into him. 


End file.
